Broken Bow Book 5: The Lost Prince
by Xed Alpha
Summary: As the most dangerous adventure of his life begins, Armani is tasked with not only a journey of self-discovery, but a challenge to recover something so elusive, that his path will take him further than he ever imagined possible... Beta by Shrrgnien. Winner of the Phoenix Best OC Award.
1. Chapter 1: Conflict of Interests

[A/N] Well, some of you may be asking yourselves just what is going on. Well I've been procrastinating in my duties of getting the beta out, having spent the past few months reading as opposed to writing, but it's finally that time again. As always credit for her awesome ability to polish things up goes to Shrrgnien, and a note of thanks to whomever thought this fic deserved it's own Wiki, which was touching. The entire fic will be reuploaded chapter by chapter within the next 24 hours or so. Enjoy…

**The Lost Prince**

**Chapter 1: Conflict of Interest**

The roof of one's cabin in Camp Half-Blood is not the place you would normally find a person. Some may find it disrespectful to their divine parent. I, on the other hand, was finding it to be the perfect place to sit out the way of the argument boiling over below me. I peeked over the top of the cabin and glanced idly down below as Clarisse and Thalia continued their shouting match.

_Yup,_ I sighed. _Still at it_.

Campers and Hunters arguing isn't exactly what you would call a rarity; in fact, it would be more accurate to call it the status quo. What bothered me was the subject of the argument.

Me.

It had all started simply enough. With the whole 'me not being dead' thing to grasps, the Hunters' visit reverted to business as usual. This meant there was one more thing that tradition dictated needed to be dealt with prior to the Hunters' departure:

Capture the Flag.

A strange tradition, to be sure, but Chiron said that it was one that had gone on for centuries; even the incident involving my mother's capture by Atlas hadn't stopped it from occurring last time. Apparently a memorial game would've been held had I not turned up.

As I said, it was simple enough. Chiron had made the announcement during breakfast, drawing a disturbingly synchronized groan from the amassed Hunters.

The other campers obviously didn't share the Hunter's disdain; they seemed quite excited at the prospect, and had immediately begun chattering amongst themselves about plans they had all come up with since their last defeat at the Hunters' hands

Apparently the score sheet was stacked quite severely in the Hunters' favor, with the campers' score sitting at a big fat zero.

I had been indifferent over the issue and merely observed the campers with detachment, occasionally hearing the Hunters mutter a weak complaint about having to beat the 'stupid campers' before being allowed to return to their hunt.

After all that, we had been walking back to the cabin, Clarisse idly discussing the start times and team arrangements with Thalia in advance of the game later on tonight. The lieutenant of the Hunt seemed slightly more enthusiastic over the game than her counterparts. I had to assume she was excited at the prospect of winning her first game as the lieutenant of Artemis. She hid it well, joining in the initial groan, though the slight glint in her stormy eyes gave away her true emotions.

And so there we were, walking back to cabin eight, when I did something monumentally stupid:

I opened my mouth.

This was rarely a smart thing, as history had shown a nasty tendency to reward any words I spoke with immediate mortal peril. To be fair, though, my question was perfectly justified.

"So which side am I on?" asked yours truly, causing both Thalia and Clarisse to halt and look back at me together.

The daughter of Ares simply shrugged dismissively. "Ours, idiot. You're a camper. Anyways-"

And Thalia chose to add, equally dismissively, "Except he's a Hunter, and the child of Lady Artemis, which puts him with us. Now, I'm thinking that if the game begins at-"

Clarisse rolled her eyes, "-_Seven_, yes, though don't think cover of darkness will help you any. And, Armani, you're on our team, bottom line."

I shrugged, "Either is-"

Thalia butted in again, raising a hand to cut me off, and regarded Clarisse in silence. She stared right back. I could feel and, quite literally, _smell_ the animosity building in the air about them. (It smelled like pine, but regardless).

Things descended quickly from there.

I would've been somewhat flattered in other circumstances; however, I sensed this had far less to do with trying to get me on their side, and far more to do with who wouldn't allow the other to usurp their authority.

It had gone from simply debating which side I should belong to, which both sides _had_presented valid arguments for, to somewhat childish name calling, which had finally descended down to where we were now: a large circle of campers and Hunters watching and arguing amongst themselves with Clarisse and Thalia in the center about ready to beat each other senseless. *snicker*

I had tried to back up and leave, but Clarisse had kept grabbing me by the scruff of my neck without even looking and dragging me back, Thalia doing similar by simply shoving me back where I was with her elbow every time I tried to leave in the _opposite_ direction.

I took the opportunity to scramble up the front of cabin eight when I had the chance, using the distraction caused by Thalia being shoved by Clarisse into the cabin's door.

-Ω-

And here we are...

_This is getting ridiculous._

I heaved a sigh and swung my legs over the front of the roof so I could see them clearly. "May I offer a suggestion?" I asked, raising a hand.

"_NO!"_ they snapped in unison. "And get off the roof!" added Thalia as an afterthought.

"I could just sit this one out..." I said with a sigh.

Clarisse glared at Thalia. "No, I'm not letting her be the cause of you missing out on our battle."

Thalia scoffed. "_Me_? I'm just keeping things as they should be! Hunters fight together."

I rolled my eyes. _And here we go again._

It was then that Clarisse said something quite shocking. "Fine, you can have him…" Thalia inclined her head, smiling, when Clarisse continued,"...Since you're obviously scared that you're going to lose this time. I suppose you'll need every hand you can get." Thalia's smile melted as Clarisse smirked, "You _are_ new to being a leader, after all. I can understand how scared you are of losing face." The daughter of Ares' tone was so patronizing that I could see Thalia holding on to the last thread of her temper.

This was a battle of egos as well as wits, and the first one to give in to their temper or yield to the other's argument would lose.

Thalia gritted her teeth. "That's got _nothing_to do with it!" she hissed venomously.

Clarisse's smirk widened and she swaggered slightly closer and leaned right into Thalia's face, her forehead barely an inch away. "Oh yeah?" she asked in a whisper. "_Prove it._"

"Armani?" asked Thalia simply, and I knew that by requesting my input at she'd already lost, but I wasn't taking sides.

I sighed and lay back on the roof. "Like I said, I don't mind. Either's good."

Thalia's eye twitched. I got the feeling that I may have been her last resort.

Saddening how little one's input is valued.

A tight smile crossed Thalia's face. "_Fine_. You can have him, but don't think that will change the outcome, it will always be the same."

I rolled my eyes again. My loyalty to my mother may have been paramount, but my friendship with the campers was also important. Thalia may have been a friend, but unlike the other Hunters, I didn't see her as my leader.

-Ω-

"What was that all about?" demanded Thalia, slamming the door behind her as I lay down on my bunk.

I got the feeling she was addressing me.

I didn't look up as from the map I was perusing. "I'm afraid I don't follow..." I mumbled distractedly.

Thalia shook her head. I could see the other Hunters watching out the corner of my eye, probably wanting an explanation too. "I asked you directly if you wanted to join our side. Why didn't you?"

I shrugged. "Because you didn't ask straight away. I dislike being used as a tool for boosting someone's ego. Had you replied to my initial inquiry of 'which side am I on' with 'whose side do you _want_ to be on' as soon as you realized there was no way to agree, then I may have considered the request. _You,_ however, allowed it to escalate into a petty bickering match that Clarisse was able to take advantage of. You lost your composure. Hopefully tonight's events will teach you to be wary of that in future."

I saw her blush and tug absently on her bracelet. I had been quite harsh, but as a leader she needed to know where she went wrong. I cared about her too much to go easy on her in such matters. It was my hope that Thalia Grace at least hold her position as long as her predecessor, and if there was anything I could to help that happen, then I would do it.

The thing is, Thalia wasn't the main reason I was being so borderline cold with her. I was being short because I was agitated. I had been for several days, and it was only getting worse.

Two factors were contributing to this. The first were some words Eris, Goddess of Discord, had said to me in the halls of Olympus a few days ago. She had strongly implied my father was in fact alive somewhere. She had not, however, stated how this was possible, nor did she yield any clues to his location or identity. In fact, all she did was vanish in a swirl of black smoke and leave me gaping like a moron in the palace of the gods.

So frustration was the first reason for my short temper and disinterest. The second however, was more disturbing.

I felt cold.

It wasn't a normal cold either, but a familiar swirling chill in my core that was disturbingly like the one that I felt after Eris had...kissed me. This cold should have been expelled by my mother, so its reappearance was as baffling as it was frightening.

Though I had a feeling it had something to do with the weight I could feel in my pocket at that very moment.

I rolled over onto my side so my back was facing the others, my hand covertly slipping into my pocket and retrieving the contents.

I uncurled my fingers and regarded the small item.

I had found it in my bag when I returned to camp. It appeared to be a small, jagged lump of obsidian, and it was strangely cold to the touch.

Upon finding it sitting on top of my possessions I had immediately turned to Thalia to show it to her, but before I could budge a muscle a cold feeling shot up my arm, and I tensed up rigidly as it spread out around my torso and up my spine. My mouth was open in an attempt to speak, but I found myself unable to move, rooted to the spot with the strange black stone gripped in my hand, and that was when I heard her voice, echoing and whispering like a cold breeze through my heart:

_'If you want your answer, do not tell them until they know.'_

I had immediately regained control of my limbs, and of course my first reaction was to try and tell Thalia, but each time, the whispering voice of Eris would send a chill up my spine.

_'Not until they know...'_

And so I kept silent. The stone felt so heavy in my pocket, and it always seemed to be just cold enough so I would be unable to forget it was there. And yes, that chill was back, the chill in my heart, and I knew that stone was the cause.

At times over the past few days I wanted to scream out, to tell Chiron, or to somehow communicate with my mother, but each rebellious thought was followed by that voice.

_'If you want to know, then they must not...not until they know'_

My teeth would grit at the nonsensical command, and so I had been walking about with a facade of indifference up, but it was wearing away. I had begun lashing out in frustration; in subtle ways, but I was lashing nonetheless.

What Eris was up to was as plain as day; she knew something about my father, and unless I played along with her game, then I'd never find out what she knew.

_If this is her way of doing me a favor..._

Not so much as a hint of help from my instinct, either. It was maddening, like I had the Sword of Damocles following me about wherever I went.

It was I lay in my bed that something happened. The voice spoke again.

_'Soon... Just enjoy your game, little one.'_

_Eris!_

I shouted this back as loud as I could inside my head, but only silence greeted for a long moment. Two final words whispered themselves across my mind, like a subtle, calming whisper.

_'Trust me...'_

My fist clenched around the stone both in shock and anger at those two simple words.

"Armani?"

"WHAT?" I barked angrily, rolling over. Standing there, looking very stunned and a little pale, was Ari. Her dark, wide eyes regarded me in shock. I took a deep, calming breath and did my best to smile apologetically. "Sorry, I'm sorry, Ari. What is it?"

I noticed a silence had descended over the cabin, the Hunters pretty much all looking at me with similar bewilderment.

Ari cocked her head to the side to regard me inquisitively. Despite her apparent immaturity (which, as a side note, was _very_ apparent) her intuitive eyes betrayed just how far her years outstretched her tiny physical form.

She looked at me in silence, then flicked her eyes to the door and back. "Can I talk to you outside for a moment?"

I opened my mouth to question this, frowning curiously, but she was already marching towards the door. She pulled it opened and stopped, looking back at me, the sunlight outside reflecting off the streak of red she had highlighted in her hair.

I sighed and pulled myself up, following the Huntress outside.

-Ω-

Ari walked in silence a few paces ahead of me, stopping by the lake. I paused a few meters away, just staring at her back as she looked out at the water in silence.

After a moment, she spoke. "Are you alright?"

I frowned at her again. "What do you mean?"

She didn't turn around. "I don't know, but I think you do. You just snapped at me in there-"

"-For which I apologized."

"Apology accepted. But there's something...Something's _up_," said the girl uncertainly as she turned about, eyes narrowed as if trying to work out some big puzzle.

I inclined my head. "What do you mean, '_up_'?"

Her eyes didn't leave me as she shook her head. "I'm not sure. But I can feel it, I can feel it in my blood when I look at you. Something's..." she paused to search for the word, then just shook her head again. "..._up_."

I felt the weight of the stone in my pocket, cold against my leg, and I could feel that sensation curling up from that point of contact, through my blood and up my spine.

My hand moved to my pocket, then froze.

_'Not yet...'_

My teeth gritted in mouth, and I noticed Ari now looking at me with widened eyes. "There it was again!"

I backed up a step and Ari took one closer. "Armani, what's going on with you?"

The daughter of Eris was dangerously perceptive, and so I asked her a question, both to distract her and because I desperately needed to know the answer. "Ari, will you tell me something?"

She blinked. "Sure, what is it?"

I swallowed. "Was Eris lying to me?"

Her mouth opened, and then she glanced away, once again deep in thought. "My mother can't be predicted. She pays her dues and her debts, but normally only if she can have fun in the process." Her eyes, black as the lump of rock in my pocket, softened slightly. "I don't think she was lying about your father. My mother's games always have to come to an end. Chaos always has to change its rules and targets, but not before upheaval has ran its course and gone full circle."

"Full circle..." I echoed numbly.

Ari gripped her wrist with her other hand, and suddenly she looked quite sad. For a moment I could see the child in her again. "She's...She's really not that bad, you know..."

My own mouth dropped open slightly as something else hit me. I had been complaining and cursing Eris for quite some time now, and I had never bothered to take Ari's feelings into account. Goddess of Discord or not, Eris was still her mother.

I exhaled a breath. "I'm sorry, Ari."

She shrugged. "I wouldn't worry; I'm used to it now. My mom isn't exactly one with the easiest intentions to read."

_Her intentions?_

I dwelled on this for a second. I never really knew what Eris was up to. My first instinct was simply 'enemy' and 'person I thought responsible for all my problems', though I never did stop to think on the final outcome of her upheaval. I shook my head; it really wasn't good to think on it, I had no doubt I would find out in good time.

Whether I liked it or not.

"Can I tell you something?" I found myself asking.

Ari inclined her small head in acknowledgement.

"All my life, I've thought of myself as without a father, and I've been good with that, content. I always thought that if it turned out I _did_ have a father I still wouldn't really care."

"And did you?"

I looked out over the lake, flipping up a flat stone and skimming it across the water. A slim hand shot up from beneath the surface and grabbed it on the fourth bounce. "I don't know..." I sidestepped as the water nymph flicked the stone back at me. "But when I saw him, well, _almost_ saw him, I...I..." I trailed off, absently retrieving the stone again.

"You what?"

I shook my head and tossed the stone out into the water. "I felt this surge, this _need_to know, to see his face. And fear. There was fear, a fear so deep it almost paralyzed me to the spot. I was terrified of what could happen to my life if this person were to suddenly enter it."

Silence descended as I watched the ripples in the water. "_But?_" Ari suddenly said, leaning into my field of vision. "I'm sensing a 'but' somewhere on the end there."

I smiled weakly. "_But..._ I realized I still wanted to know. Who was this man who had his life taken for me? Why him? If I'd had another second I probably would've rushed to help him." I shook my head again. "But how can he _possibly_ be alive?"

Ari shrugged as an irritated naiad stuck her head out of the water and threw the stone back at me. Ari caught it effortlessly. "Well, that part's obvious."

I nodded, and then frowned, glancing at her. "It is?"

She turned to look at me. "That blond girl..."

"Which one?"

"The one from the other world."

"Oh, Juliet."

Ari nodded. "That's her. You said that she shouted out at the shade."

I inclined my head. "So? What's your point?"

She turned to face me. "Well, she probably startled him, and then he fled, taking enough life force to make you, but _not_ to-"

I cut in as it dawned. "-But not to off my old man."

Ari picked the stone up this time and skimmed it over the lake. I didn't have the reactions to count how many bounces it made.

I blinked. "Impressive..."

She shrugged. "I've had time to practice."

"Hang on," I said, frowning as something else occurred to me. "So, you're saying my father is only alive because I went back in time and changed the past so he'd be alive now, right?".

Ari nodded. "Pretty much, what's your point?"

I frowned "So does that mean he was dead my whole life, or only alive after I came back to the future?"

"It depends..."

"It _depends_?" I echoed dryly.

Ari nodded. "It depends. In one way, you were destined to go back in time to change the past and make sure he survived."

"And if I didn't do that?"

She shrugged. "Then it wouldn't have happened, but it did, because it already had, and was going to."

I opened and closed my mouth a few times. "Congratulations. That was officially the most confusing sentence I've ever heard."

She smiled slightly. "Ari, daughter of Eris, I thought we'd met. And its not working, you know."

"What isn't?"

"Trying to distract me from my question. I'm very good at distracting, but I think you'll find I'm very hard to actually distract. Comes with being a child of Eris."

"And what question was that?" I asked innocently.

She scowled. "_What_ is going on with you?"

I opened my mouth to reply, then just turned back to look out at the water. I had no intention of replying, but strangely found myself speaking the words, "Ask me again tomorrow evening."

A chill went through me and my fist clenched in my pocket. Ari looked at me with concern, as if somehow knowing I wasn't sure about my own words, but she seemed to accept the request for now. She nodded, turned about, and headed back for the cabin.

I stood alone on the water's edge until she went out of sight. My teeth ground together in my mouth as I squeezed my fist about the rock in my pocket. I felt a snarl spread across my face as I leaned back and hurled the rock out over the water as far as possible.

I glared at the black dot as it descended towards the water. And, as it struck the surface, it vanished without a splash, as if a void resting on the surface of the water had swallowed it before it could make an impact. At the same time, I felt a cold weight drop into my pocket.

I glanced down at my trouser leg with exasperation.

_No, didn't think that would work_.

I heaved a sigh of resignation and left the water's edge.

-Ω-

"You're late, Armani," Clarisse snapped as I entered the game room the campers had decided to use for their strategy meeting ahead of the game tonight.

I sighed and closed the door behind me. "Sorry, overslept."

William frowned as he leaned back in one of the chairs pulled up around the ping-pong table. "It's four in the afternoon."

I shrugged and leaned back against one of the walls. "Was having a catnap. What'd I miss?"

Clarisse shrugged. "We were just planning our method of attack for tonight." I glanced at the others in the room. It was a mix of about twelve other campers, each a counselor. I had been invited primarily because I had decent knowledge of the Hunters and also because I technically classed as a counselor too, considering I was the only actual camper in my cabin.

I did a quick scan of the room. "Where's Annabeth? I thought she was getting here today."

Clarisse shook her head as she scribbled on the map. "She's stopping off to pick up the Oracle, she won't be here until late tonight. Why do you ask? Do you doubt my tactical skill or something?" she asked, glancing at me out the corner of her eye.

I sighed. "No, was just curious."

Her eyes went back to the map, "What's up with you anyway? You've been acting... _weird_recently."

I rolled my eyes. "Really wish people would stop saying that."

"If you say so," she muttered. "A basic all-out assault should do the trick..." mused the daughter of Ares as her eyes traced the layout of the forest.

I observed as William nodded in agreement. "With all the new campers in play, we shouldn't have too much trouble. We might actually win this for once."

There were murmurs of excitable agreement from the other councilors as I glanced idly out the window. "No, you won't. You're still going to lose," said yours truly in a distant tone.

It took me a moment to consciously realize silence had blanketed the room. I arched my head about to meet the frowning glares of my fellow campers. Clarisse was scowling right at me.

"W-what?"

"I _thought_ you were on our side," said the girl through gritted teeth.

I frowned. "I am!" I said emphatically.

She cocked her head. "_Oh_? Then care to explain the reason for your glaring dispassion?"

I heaved a sigh and rolled my eyes. "Isn't it obvious?"

William glanced about himself at the other campers and back. He cocked an eyebrow. "Apparently not..."

I groaned and pushed off from the window. "This is why I wished Annabeth was here, I thought she might have been able to see it..."

"See _what_?" barked Clarisse, angrily stabbing the dagger she had been using as a paperweight into the surface of the table, impaling it clean through.

I took a calming breath. "Let's start by asking this: What is the Hunters' greatest strength?"

Everyone went silent. William replied uncertainly after a moment. "They're...immortal?"

I rolled my eyes. "Which would hardly help them, unless of course they wanted to wait the fight out for a few decades. No, the answer is their _experience_. The Hunters of Artemis are, by and large, much smarter than you." I raised my hands calmly to halt the wave of angry curses about to be hurled my way. "No, accept it. Most of them are hundreds of years old, have decades of combat experience, and have played this game dozens of times before. They are also as attuned to the forest as a fish in water. That also makes most of them both stronger and faster than you, regardless of their apparent stature."

William sighed. "He's right; the power of Artemis grants them a serious advantage."

Pollux grunted angrily. "So, what? All you have to tell us is that we have no chance? Thanks a pantload..."

I didn't respond. I simply continued, "Now, let me ask you this: What is their greatest _weakness_?"

Silence blanketed the room again as the campers glanced at one another, seriously thinking it through. I saw Clarisse glance up from her map and meet her eyes, comprehension in her gaze. "Numbers."

I inclined my head. "Precisely. The Hunters of Artemis nearly always hold a significant numerical disadvantage, which is only accentuated with the addition of the new half-bloods to the camp."

Pollux frowned. "But you just said that numbers won't help us against the Hunters."

I cocked my head. "That's because you don't know how to correctly exploit that weakness."

William's eyes narrowed. "And you can?"

I looked back out of the window. "Tell me, do you know how it is the Hunters always beat you? What strategy they use?"

It was a hypothetical question, since I knew how they would win, but Clarisse answered anyway. "They use the strengths they do have to work around their weakness?"

I nodded. "And how do they do that?"

She didn't reply.

I turned around. "They win before they lose."

I got a multitude of blank stares in response. "That's... wait, _what?_" gaped William.

I rubbed my sinuses tiredly. "Think about it. The Hunters never play a defensive game, simply because they can't. They lack the man...or _girl_power... to make a stand against the campers for any reasonable length of time. My guess is their defense would be little more than a few of Thalia's most trusted Hunters, just enough to hold off the campers whilst they get the job done."

William nodded. "Then they do the same thing you did during the last game of Capture the Flag."

I nodded. "Hunters very rarely play an all-out assault involving one side against another. They are far more likely to adopt a surgical strike. The Hunters themselves very rarely operate in large groups and tend to work mostly in scouting parties. They will set out with that flag as their prey. And taking that prey, as you can realize, is something they have become _extremely_ adept at. They will slip through your lines, avoiding a large confrontation beyond distracting your main force, whilst the main assault group will slip in and snatch that flag before you even realize what's happened, and by the time you do, it will be far too late. It is extremely difficult to catch a Hunter retreating through the woods. Ergo, their stealth and speed turn their lack of numbers to their advantage. They will stay hidden and attack from the shadows."

William nodded glumly. "And in a forest that size, finding them will consume a lot of time as it is."

I inclined my head back. "And as I said, time is something you do not have against the Hunters. They will play a swift and brutal game: In, out, and win. Simple as that."

Pollux shrugged. "Well, you've made it sound pretty hopeless so far. Even their weakness is apparently their strength."

A small smile played over my face. "Not necessarily... All we need to do is take that advantage back from them again. We take away the advantage that has let the Hunters win this game for the past Zeus-knows-how-many years."

Clarisse frowned at me and glanced at her map. She extended her hand to the diagram, which was covered in colored plastic triangles representing the different Camper's cabins.

"Then be my guest..."

I approached and looked down. "Looks like you've got most of the Apollo campers and your own poised for the main attack, with the other cabins acting as support and defense."

She shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea: tighten our lines using the additional numbers and make it hard for them to break our defense while we grab the flag. Seemed like an even better idea after what you mentioned...but..."

I nodded. "_But?_"

"It's not enough... There are probably a dozen places they could rush though or cause a distraction, and short of pulling everyone back into a massive defensive cordon, then I don't see how we can stop them sneaking in and snatching our flag."

I felt a smirk play across my face as I reached down and picked up three pieces: A red one, the only gray one and another at random, which I scribbled over in green marker. I glanced up at Clarisse. "We don't have to do much of anything...just shift a couple of our pieces about and bring one more onto the field. I take it this one's me..." I mumbled, musing at the gray triangle which had been set ahead of the main attack force.

She nodded. "I figured you could pull off what you did last time. Thought it might give us a better chance."

I cocked my head. "Indeed it might, except Thalia's no doubt expecting me to do just that..."

She rolled her eyes. "Then what do you suggest?"

I smiled again, and moved my piece right back, setting it back against the flag marker. Clarisse frowned. "Defense? Why would you want to play defense?"

"That's not all..." I said, setting the red chip down near my own, revealing it to be one of the colored chips that had a golden trim about it.

Clarisse's eyes widened and gaped up at me. "_Me_? Oh, you've got to be kidding, nature boy! I do _not_play defense."

I smirked right back. "Why, don't you see? In this game, defense is where all the fun's at."

She seemed to do a double-take at the almost predatory glint in my eyes. "And why should I agree to this?"

I settled the third chip down nearby and glanced up at her. "Because, Ms. LaRue... _this _time we're going to win."

-Ω-

The pre-fight psych-out was a lot different than how I remembered it to be. The atmosphere between campers and Hunters was very different from your usual inter-cabin rivalries. There was an almost solid wall of bitter resentment aimed at my mother's followers, this being returned by an almost smug indifference, like adults trying to ignore a group of loud children.

Clarisse approached Thalia and the pair shook hands, eyes locked, their smiles reminiscent of a pair of cheetahs about to pounce on their prey. Their grip seemed tight enough to imply they were trying to crush the hand of the other. William approached Phoebe with a sportsmanlike smile and offered his own hand; the Huntress merely stood with her own hands behind her back and regarded the limb as if it were something offensive. The son of Apollo gingerly retrieved his hand and backed away to our group with Clarisse returning a moment later.

I myself walked down in front of their line, inclining my head as I went. I got the occasional curt nod in response, accompanied by cold stares of fierce determination. I was doing this for two reasons: One was to show I held no resentment toward my mother's followers, and the other...well... let's just say I had a far more tactical reason as well...

-Ω-

Clarisse appeared edgy. The clearing around Zeus' Fist was virtually deserted and painfully exposed. It was also obviously too quiet for her taste, as the sounds of distant skirmishes were already audible only a few minutes into the game. Two messengers from the front had already been here and back to request further details and orders.

The daughter of Ares paced for a moment longer before rounding on me. "_See!_" She groaned sarcastically, beckoning to the clearing about us. "Look how fun this is!"

I looked up from my position in the very center of the area, as I sat cross-legged, Indian-style. "Patience...It's almost time."

I observed Lya approach nervously out the corner of my eye. "Umm... Is there anything you want me to do yet?"

I closed my eyes again and focused on my senses. A small smile spread over my face. "Actually, yes, we need a breeze... Can you see to it for me please, Lya?"

I heard her nod an affirmative. A moment later there was a rustling of trees all about as she took control of them, using their large branches like giant fans. I felt an unnatural breeze begin blowing in from all directions.

I smiled wider. "Perfect...Thank you, Lya." I felt a tug in my gut and I opened my eyes to look out to the side. "Heads up, Clarisse. Here comes the fun..."

-Ω-

Thalia had a bad feeling. If things had all gone to plan then the match should have been over by now.

She mulled this over as she slunk as silently as a shadow through the undergrowth, Phoebe shadowing her from close behind.

There was something else, too. They had been forced to alter course on two separate occasions while closing in on the enemy flag's location.

She'd glanced upwards once, just to make sure that the campers didn't have anyone monitoring them from above to track the Hunter's positions. She had immediately dismissed this, however. While the campers had the Pegasi to do this, the canopy of trees was thick enough to obscure vision. She also doubted they were smart enough to think something like that up.

The Hunters had been heavily relying on the Campers' overconfidence in their numbers to ensure a swift win to get this over with. But as she had guessed, something was wrong. The campers' scouting parties were far too organized to be random. Some had passed by them, missing them by a matter of yards. Others, she and Phoebe had been forced to _incapacitate_before continuing on their way.

She knew at least half a dozen of her Hunters would have made an attempt on the flag by now. The fact that this had not been enough to secure an easy victory was starting to nag at the Lieutenant. She knew they had to win this one fast; their defenses were not nearly enough to put up a sustained defense for any prolonged amount of time.

They had to hurry.

She glanced back at Phoebe and nodded. The Huntress inclined her head and split away from her path to circle around as the daughter of Zeus slowed down.

Slowly and carefully, she edged up to the border of the clearing surrounding Zeus' Fist.

-Ω-

Thalia's brow clenched into a frown as she looked into the grassy expanse. What she saw did not make sense.

It was bare. With the exception of a single half-blood she'd thought she'd encounter at some point or another.

Armani Dove sat alone in the center of the clearing, his eyes closed with a look of content focus on his face, fingers clasped together in his lap.

Alone, unarmed, and totally exposed. If this wasn't a trap she'd eat her own circlet.

And that would hurt.

She heard the rustling of leaves around her as the breeze picked up. She clenched her teeth in anger as an unnatural tailwind blew past her and into the clearing.

The lieutenant clenched a fist as she watched the breeze blow the auburn locks out of the lone half-blood's face.

A second later his eyes flicked open and looked right in her direction.

She felt a slight chill as his glistening silver eyes looked at her. His eyes hadn't met hers yet, primarily because she was too concealed to be seen from his position, but it didn't matter...

He knew she was there.

A pleasant smile spread across his face. "Hello, Thalia."

She glowered at him and slid out of her concealment, emerging from the undergrowth.

He didn't make a move to defend himself. Her eyes flicked about the area. There were no signs of any upturned or disturbed earth to indicate any traps, and no one had burst out of hiding to jump her. He merely followed her with his eyes, not even bothering to get up yet.

Thalia stopped, reached around, and drew a dagger. She inclined her head. "I was wondering when I'd run into you. Though I didn't think it would be here..."

He appeared amused. "Oh? Expecting me right in with the charge, were you?"

She shook her head, "No, I expected you to be the one to try and take the flag. We had even prepared some special surprises just for you."

He chuckled slightly. "I'm flattered, but I assure you, I'm far better off here."

"Funny, I'd never peg you for someone to hide from the action."

He cocked his head. "Trying to taunt me into action?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Something like that."

"Or are you trying to distract me from the Hunter sneaking up on me from 7 o'clock?"

Thalia couldn't stop the surprise flash over her eyes for a second, and didn't have time to question it as an extremely well-camouflaged Clarisse exploded from the tree line and skidded to a halt beside the rock formation. She wasn't wearing her usual armor, instead decked out in military-style combats, the black camo paint on her face giving her an even more dangerous look than normal.

Thalia drew her other dagger, glancing quickly between the two.

She watched as Armani inclined his head and inhaled the breeze. "Hmmm…Strawberries? Clarisse, be careful." The daughter of Ares paused and glanced back at the demigod. "It's Phoebe."

A vicious smirk spread across her face as a rustling in the undergrowth became audible. Clarisse leaned over and grabbed her spear by the base, swinging it round into a huge arc and into a seemingly empty spot in the air.

A split second later, as the Hunter made a dash from the trees to grab the flag and be gone, this point in space found itself being occupied by both the shaft of Clarisse's spear and the side of Phoebe's face. The universe chose to resolve this little irregularity by shattering a good number of the teeth in Phoebe's mouth, splitting her lip clean open, and dropping her to the earth like a sack of stones.

Clarisse humphed as Armani and Thalia's eyes watched the Hunter fall to the ground.

A playful smile spread across the daughter of Ares' as she twirled her spear once. "_Fail._"

"Phoebe!" Thalia shouted and lunged forward. She skidded to a halt as Armani finally slid to his feet in front of her, Clarisse also turning to face her. Her eyes flicked from one to the other, her blades raised defensively.

She finally settled on glaring at Armani, who stood in her path.

"How?" she demanded.

The son of Artemis smiled cordially. "How what, Thalia?"

"Even if you _did_ catch my scent on the downwind, there's no way that you could've known Phoebe had been coming that far in advance."

His smile twitched wider as his eyes narrowed slightly. He began walking slowly around her in a wide semi-circle. "Why don't you tell me, Thalia? Show me how clever you are; work it out..."

She ground her teeth and prepared to strike. "I don't have time to play any games!"

Armani sighed, temporarily halting his pacing. "I'll give you a big clue, then. Tell me; can you sense when there are thunderstorms approaching?"

Thalia paused and regarded the half-blood suspiciously, "Of course I can, but what does that-" She froze mid-sentence. "You _sensed us_ _coming_."

The smaller demigod bowed his head acceptingly. "Works better when I'm in the cabin, but it's almost as good in the forest. Thanks to the power of Artemis in you, I can feel you coming from miles away. Didn't work when I was just a damaged little demigod, but when my Mother claimed me and made me a Hunter, it sharpened that sense severalfold."

Thalia gaped at him for a second and her stare turned almost accusing. "The others! You were telling the other campers where we were!"

He shrugged. "It was a little inaccurate, but it was enough to tip the scales a little bit. And since you were kind enough to stand in a nice straight line before the match and let me identify each of your scents, you may as well have been screaming your names out at me from the top of your lungs as you approached."

Thalia's grip tightened angrily on the hilt of her dagger, her eyes scanning the common again. "And the others, where are the other Hunters?"

Clarisse answered for him. "Your little friends are just taking a little nap in the trees. Lya!" she shouted, and there was a sound of slithering roots as the wood nymph in question descended into view from where Clarisse had been hiding.

Surrounding the Nymph, unconscious and wrapped up in vines, were the forms of half a dozen prone Hunters hanging from the trees.

Thalia rounded back on Armani. "That's cheating! You can't use a nymph!"

Armani raised a finger, "Not true. The rules state we can use any weapon and all of our surroundings as we see fit. And in case you didn't know, Lya happens to be a tree, and what are we surrounded by?"

"That's a technicality at best," growled the lieutenant.

"Possibly, though considering what I've heard of Hunter sportsmanship in this game, you have no right to speak about bending the rules."

Thalia tried to come up with a retort, but she knew she'd be hypocritical if she said anything, considering that by all accounts the last time she played this game she herself had complained about the dirty tactics used by some of the Hunters.

"So how's the game going?" asked Clarisse.

Armani looked past Thalia into the forest, narrowing his eyes in concentration. "Quite well. The Hunters are being pushed back towards their own camp, there are only a few remaining scouts left on this side."

She sighed in response, "What, so now all the fun's over at the _other_ side of the field?"

Thalia looked past the two demigods to the flag hanging from Zeus' Fist. She knew time was against her. Armani was her first problem, but not her biggest. Clarisse was by far the biggest threat if it came to close combat, but Armani was tricky enough to fight one-on-one as it was. His actions today had proven him even more of a wild card than she had first thought. Even _if_she made a dash for the flag, she was sure Armani might be able to catch her on foot, and if Clarisse caught up after that then she would be done for.

She was about to make a most likely futile move when Armani spoke again, and gave her a ray of hope in the process. "Don't lose faith just yet, Clarisse. It's not quite over. We have company..." Armani glanced to a spot in the forest to Thalia's left. He looked to Lya and indicated that direction with a finger.

She watched as the little Nymph closed her eyes and suddenly a strong breeze began blowing inwards from the direction indicated.

Clarisse smirked and took a position in the center of the area, twirling her spear in readiness, waiting to take the oncoming foes head-on.

"No," Armani suddenly said in a level tone, looking out at the forest with an unreadable expression on his face. "I'll take care of this one. Will you switch with me, please?"

Clarisse's smirk turned as vicious as it was excited as she turned about to face the daughter of Zeus, "Oh, I thought you'd never ask..." She passed by Armani, who took up position in the center of the clearing and regarded the darkness in front of him, his hands by his sides and that same unreadable expression on his face.

-Ω-

_Two of them... Apple, lavender and nightshade. It would be, wouldn't it?_

A second later, an arrow shot out of the darkness towards me. I had been expecting this attack at some point during the game. So, with a snarl, I drew my sword straight into a wide slashing arc as the arrowhead exploded into a net about to wrap itself about my limbs. The blade sliced through the threads and most passed harmlessly over me.

I kicked away the few stray threads that had tangled about my ankle and glared out into the forest. "That trick won't work twice!"

A moment later the small forms of Aren McNamara and Ari McMurphy shot out of the darkness and stopped before me, poised and ready to fight.

Ari looked at me with cold, dark eyes. "Funny, I don't even remember trying it _once."_

"Aren!" snapped Thalia upon sighting the girl. "I thought I told you to remain on defense!"

Aren blinked. "I'm sorry, Thalia, but the way things were going, we thought it best we make for the flag and come help."

I arched my head around to Thalia as a thought occurred to me. "You thought I would be on the offensive, didn't you?"

Thalia scowled. "What of it?"

"Nothing, but I see what you meant when you said you were preparing a defense just for me."

Thalia seemed to blush. "Th-that's got nothing to do with it! Aren's seen you fight before, so I thought her best to be there waiting for you."

I cocked an eyebrow. "_Really?_" I inquired dryly.

Thalia just scoffed and turned to Clarisse, raising her dagger defensively.

I turned to the two Huntresses. "And you, Ms McMurphy?"

She had that same inquisitive look in her eye. "Let's just say I felt I had to come, too."

_She's been watching you closely; she knows something's up._

_You don't say...You've been quiet lately._

_Quiet? I've been screaming at you to tell everyone what's going on with that stone, and you've been ignoring me!_

_I've been trying to tell them!_

_You could've done it if you really tried!_

_I suppose..._

_Your curiosity may be the death of you._

_Perhaps, but now is not the time._

Ari and Aren spread out slightly, each drawing a dagger.

Aren looked at me with those piercing green eyes of hers. "Don't think I'll be holding back..."

I saw the burning intensity in her glare, and I couldn't help but smile. "I don't doubt it. Time's a-wasting, ladies, so if you'll forgive the vernacular... bring it."

Ari lunged to the side as Aren leaped forward, swinging her dagger overhead and forcing me to block with my sword. I looked into her eyes as we grappled. "You're a lot stronger than I thought... not bad," I said with gritted teeth. Twisting, I slid my blade away, letting Aren stagger forwards. I kicked at the small of her back and sent her down into the ground, allowing me to swing about and block Ari from the side. I caught her small wrist in my hand, her dagger clenched in her fist.

I held her tight and leaned back, raising my foot up. I lunged forwards, booting the Huntress in the chest and sending her flying onto her back.

I pounced forwards, raising a fist up. As I prepared to bring it down and strike the fallen dark-haired Huntress, what I can only describe as the world's biggest ice-cream headache came out of nowhere and pierced through my skull, my hand halting rigidly before I could throw a punch.

_Don't you DARE. _

The moment of hesitation was all Aren needed to tackle me from the side and land with me pinned underneath her, and I was only dimly aware of losing grip on my sword as it skidded into the earth nearby.

She was deceptively strong for her size, and she put all her strength into keeping me down. Her cheeks were flushed with effort, and probably something else too.

There was a strong possibility I was blushing, though I ignored it. Having her pressing down on me, face to face, was bringing back memories. Once again I found her lips just hovering less than an inch from my own. I also never noticed that little mole on her right cheek before, it was very-

_Will you PLEASE focus!_

_Right...Sorry..._

I shoved the thoughts violently aside. Thankfully, using her weight to reinforce her pinning maneuver didn't turn out to be much of a problem.

Primarily because she weighed next to nothing.

I braced my knees up under her chest and, with gritted teeth, began leaning upwards, lifting her off the ground with me.

"YAAH!" I shouted as, with a thrust, I sprang to my feet and shoved Aren off me.

That was when Ari hopped up on to my back and began leaning back in an attempt to drag me down.

_This is NOT my day!_

A second later, as I was about to fall back, the small girl was hit in the side by a very large flying object. The force had the twin effect of spinning me about (to the point I almost fell over myself) and also of slackening Ari's grip on my back and allowing me to shake her off.

It was only then that I saw what the large object was.

It was Thalia.

Clarisse stood still with an outstretched foot, a look of feral rage on her face. There was also a burning red aura coursing over her skin.

She spared me a second's glance. "Sorry 'bout that."

Thalia was already back on her feet and charging at the daughter of Ares. She leaped up into a swing kick and caught Clarisse square in the chest, causing her to stagger back a step but not managing to knock her down.

The lieutenant landed and immediately parried around on one hand to leg-swipe her opponent.

Clarisse growled and stopped the attack by stomping down on Thalia's lower leg, pressing it into the earth as the daughter of Ares swung her spear about in the air like a club and brought it down over her enemy's head.

With blinding speed, Thalia's hands shot up and cupped themselves around the flat of the spear's tip.

One hand shifted and grabbed the top of the shaft as she tugged, pulling Clarisse closer.

I could see the crackles of the spear's electricity playing over Thalia's hand as she glared up at the other girl. "Daughter of Zeus, remember?" As if to emphasize the point, I saw a surge of electricity pass clean up Thalia's arm from where it held the spear, cross her shoulder blades and crackle down the other arm.

She released the spear and punched the crackling fist into Clarisse's chest. The resultant surge of power sent the daughter of Ares flying clear off of the Hunter and skidding back a few feet through the dirt.

Thalia didn't stop. She grabbed the spear off the ground, and I couldn't help but notice that the tip seemed to sizzle twice as menacingly as before, now that it was in the hands of the daughter of Zeus.

Clarisse, twitching slightly, pushed herself up and dodged her own spear before it could hit her in the chest.

She rolled past Thalia and immediately snatched up my own discarded sword, swinging it about just in time to block the shaft of the spear.

Thalia pushed down, forcing Clarisse almost onto her knees. Sparks flew as Clarisse's blade slid off the spear and the girl jumped clear before the tip could hit her.

Thalia raised the spear up again as Clarisse raised her sword. The silver Hunter's aura seemed to flow clearly over her. Clarisse's own charm was like a burning inferno about her body.

Both lunged forward with a deafening battle cry. Thalia stabbed downwards as Clarisse swung my sword in a brutal overhead arc at the weapon. The blade struck the shaft and sliced clean through it.

There was a spectacular release of contained energy from within the enchanted weapon that manifested in a huge explosion between them.

Daughter of Zeus or not, the shock wave was enough to send both Thalia and Clarisse flying off in opposite directions. Thalia struck the trunk of a tree with what sounded like a very painful _crack._Clarisse, in a slight reversal of fortunes, was send flying into the still recovering Ari McMurphy. The sound of two heads hitting each other at that speed was equally wince-inducing.

I would've retrieved my weapon, had the blade not been blasted into pieces by the explosion.

_Clarisse killed my sword._

"Umm, Armani?" said Lya, who had been hiding behind a nearby tree.

"What is it, Lya?" I asked, dusting myself down.

She pointed off into the forest behind me. "Aren ran away..."

I frowned. "Don't be silly, why would she..." It hit me suddenly, and I whirled to look at the vacant spot where the flag had been.

I turned back around, just in time to see Aren disappear into the woods, our flag gripped in her small hand.

_That sneaky little..._

_Not now!_

I at least gave myself enough time for an emphatic "Oh, no you don't!" before bolting off into the woods in pursuit of the Hunter.

"Have fun!" called Lya in her usual cheery tone as I shot off after my target.

-Ω-

I was locked in on Aren with every sense I had available.

She was fast; most likely one of the fastest Hunters there was, but there was no way to escape me in our current situation.

I could see her.

I could smell her.

I could feel her.

Now if only I could _catch _her_..._

_That'd be nice._

I calmed my mind and focused on myself, summoning every last drop of strength and stamina I had.

The trees became a blur as I dashed ahead with my target in front, the single-minded purpose of catching my prey surging though me.

_The Hunter really has become the hunted._

Bad puns aside, I could feel the distance closing. Aren was sprinting for all she was worth. I could smell her perspiration; I was close enough to hear her even breathing on the air.

I could see her lithe form bolt between trees, hopping across boulders as if they weren't there. The fight must've been all down at the Hunter's camp by now, so there wasn't much in the way of interruption. It was a straight-up footrace.

"You can't get away from me, Aren!" I shouted, leaning forwards to streamline myself.

She didn't respond; she must've known I was there before I called out, though. She must've also known she couldn't slow long enough to so much as toss something into my path; the split-second interruption in her pace would be all I needed to reach her. Even responding to my words would've interrupted her rhythm.

A horn echoed somewhere ahead in the distance.

_So it's a race from both directions now, is it?_

_What are you doing?_

I frowned at the sudden intrusion in my thoughts.

_You're faster than this! You've outrun all the Hunters before, and you didn't even have the Hunter's power then yourself._

_I hate it when you're right..._

_You can stop her, you know how. Set aside your preposterous emotions and issues of conflicting loyalty and deal with your prey!_

I sent a silent apology to my mother as I called out to the world around me with my mind.

_Forgive the irony of this statement, but..._

"For Artemis!"

A cold wind swept behind me, the sounds of animal cries worshiping the name of their goddess echoed through my head and my heart from all around me.

And then there was the moonlight, bathing me in silver light, warmer to me than the rays of the dawning sun.

I felt one last burst of strength as I touched my absolute limit.

_Take her down!_

Everything seemed to be moving so slowly now, each breath was echoing in my ears. I could see each of my prey's footfalls and each speck of dirt that was thrown up in her wake as she moved onwards. It got more and more intense, until I was there, trapped in the instant of the kill.

The distance closed, and I was only dimly aware of crouching down and leaping up at a branch ahead, the rough wood grazed my hands as I swung forwards and landed with a skid directly into the path of my prey, swinging about to face her.

_Got you..._

And let this be a lesson. The laws of physics dictate that the force an object puts out increases in direct proportion to its speed. It's like what they say about a blade of grass being capable of piercing through an oak tree in a hurricane. Ergo, I can only describe landing square in the path of Aren McNamara running at her top speed as being akin to stepping in front of a small truck going at thirty miles per hour.

Painful...and not very bright either.

My teeth were jarred by the impact and I felt every bone in my body rattle as both of us went flying.

I looked back and realized I probably could've picked a better spot to land. There was a good ten-foot drop on the other side of the rock I had landed on.

I instinctively wrapped my arms and legs around the girl falling with me as the ground rushed up to meet us.

_I get the feeling this is going to hurt._

My supposition proved to be entirely well founded, and more than a little understated.

The process of absorbing the impact for the both of us resulted first in every breath of wind being knocked out of my body, and I also felt something pop in my left side.

_And there goes the shoulder..._

"Oooowwww. Well that was stupid of me..." I groaned, and was only partially aware of my tugging the flag free of Aren's grip, just in case she took advantage of the situation.

She was still in a better way, but was also disorientated as she lay on me in the gully we had fallen into.

The fact that I half expected her to easily snatch back the flag and do her best to carry on running made me feel slightly ashamed of myself when she spoke her next words.

"Are you alright?"

I found a pair of concerned green eyes hovering above me. I laughed painfully. "..._Spiffing_."

She smiled, and tried to push herself up. She let out a gasp of pain and collapsed onto me again. Despite how much it hurt, I was amazed how light she was.

I did my best to smile. "What's wrong?"

Her brow was clenched slightly. "Sprained..."

I nodded at my shoulder. "Dislocated. I win."

She groaned and lay down on my chest, her small hand resting on my shoulder.

I knew I should have recommended that she roll off me, but there she was again, and here we were once more, isolated from the world and just the two of us.

I reached up and brushed a smudge of mud from her cheek with my thumb. I felt the sudden gasp through her chest and her capillaries burned hot under my finger.

She was so close now...

If her face were just another inch closer...

_Oh, gods, not this again..._

I felt my hand move across her cheek and to the back of her head, my fingers brushing through her short blond hair. Her breath was growing heavy now, her eyes glazed over. I shared her feelings: desperation and fear. It would be so easy... Just close the distance, pull her to me.

"Aren, I..." I began, and then a sound in the distance suddenly brought us both back to reality with a crash, as we both remembered at the same time why we were there, in that position.

And I've never seen the blood in someone's face drain away so quickly. From bright red to absolutely ashen went Aren's cheeks.

The sound was cheering.

Her eyes went even wider, if that were possible, as she spoke two words in a single disbelieving breath:

"We lost..."

-Ω-

You could imagine the campers would be very gracious in victory. That they wouldn't make a big deal of it or rub it in in any way. That they would be silent in their victory and not add to the Hunter's discomfort by singing songs about it.

Like I said: _Imagine_.

Aren had managed to assist me out of the ditch we had fallen into before anyone found us. I made it to the border, where William was already being hailed as the hero, the flag he held triumphantly aloft glistening gold with his father's emblem. The son of Apollo's body, even from here, looked battered and bruised. I could see some pretty nasty cuts on his arms, too. A lot of the other campers seemed in a similar way. I'm not sure exactly what happened in that fight, but the Hunters must have put up one heck of a fight despite their lack of numbers.

_They are not living this one down in a hurry._

I heaved a sigh as Aren peeled away from me and crossed the border numbly to join the other Hunters, many looking very battle scarred and seemingly quite irritated. I knew it wouldn't be long before the initial euphoria of victory died and the victors turned to rubbing the loser's faces in it.

Teenagers are like that.

-Ω-

The camper's consolations to their foes were somewhat patronizing, to say the least. Each 'Buck up, can't win 'em all' usually being accompanied by some not-so-subtle snickering from that person's supporters. Clarisse, Thalia and the other Hunters were eventually retrieved from where they fell.

The daughter of Ares, who was revived by one of the Apollo children when everyone had returned to the dining pavilion, immediately reverted to her first instinct to be angry that she missed out on the end of the fight. However, her ego was as good as healed when word spread that she was responsible for defending the flag pretty much by herself, including ambushing Phoebe, taking down Thalia (the fact it was essentially a double knockout being immediately downplayed by the other Ares campers) and every other Hunter that went her way, using what her cabin mates could only describe as 'epic guerrilla tactics'. Coming out of a battle bloodstained, coated in war paint and surrounded by your fallen enemies obviously didn't seem to be anything short of a best result for the Ares kids.

This all worked fine for me, since I had little qualms about downplaying my involvement in the whole thing. For some reason, I didn't feel like getting too swept up in the celebrations, which did end up going quite far into the night.

The Hunters, to their credit, took the campers' gloating with little more than sighs and rolls of their eyes, even though I could see the building indignation in the eyes of most of them. It seemed like a battle of wills, one side seeing who would crumble and turn in for the night first.

It was not a good night for the Hunters, as they lost this battle too, although I suppose this could be understandable, considering the Aphrodite campers' "random and spontaneous" decision to burst into a rendition of _Like a Virgin_ by Madonna.

Steff stood up first, fists pressed into the table and glaring across at the singing campers. It looked like there was going to be another fight, but instead the Hunter chose to retire for the night, the others following immediately behind.

The song had been in very bad taste, after all, and I watched them go, all the while feeling like that football player who was sold to another team, only to face his old team in the cup final in his first match.

I sat by myself for the remainder of the festivities, leaning back against the hearth for warmth to keep away the chill that was now surging through me.

It was a chill that had very little to do with the ambient temperature.

I nearly jumped out my skin when a large hand patted me harshly on my still-throbbing shoulder, "There's my anti-Hunter Hunter," said Clarisse with a grin, her face still stained with camouflage paint (in fact, it looked as if someone had reapplied it for some odd reason).

I groaned and turned back to the flames. "Please don't call me that."

"Hey, why so glum? You kicked some serious Hunter tail out there, too." She frowned. "Is this 'cause I broke your sword? Seriously, that's like the fifteenth enchanted spear I've broken."

I smiled weakly. "It's nothing, really."

She was silent for a moment, and then I heard her give a resigned sigh. "It was only a game."

I blinked and turned to her. "What?"

She leaned back against the rails around the fire. "I know why you're bummed. Trust me, they'll get over it too, but they won't hold it against you or resent you."

"I wouldn't be so sure...I know I'd hold it against me. It just didn't feel right... At one point I just totally lost myself in the moment, in the obsession of hunting my prey. I also feel bad about using my mother's power against her own Hunters like that..."

"Armani...I'm going to tell you something. If you repeat it, I will ensure they never find your body, okay?"

Despite paling about how blasé she was with that death threat, I nodded. "Go ahead."

"I respect the Hunters." I frowned slightly in confusion as she continued, "It's true. They've got guts, I've gotta hand it to them. That's why I smashed Phoebe's teeth in like that, why I didn't hold out when I ambushed those other Hunters. It's because I'd be stupid not too. Everyone else 'round here underestimates them because of how they look; I don't. And if you didn't go all out against Aren, then you'd have been a fool, and you probably couldn't really call yourself her friend either. I know I'd never forgive anyone who held back against me out of pity, though Ares help them if they did..." She pushed off from the hearth and stopped. "They won't hold it against you." I saw a smile spread across her face as Chris Rodriguez waved her over from nearby. "Because real friends will accept you for just who you are. So chill." She began walking off, then paused to smile cheekily back. "But let me know if anyone doesn't...I'll go smash their heads in for you." She let out a quick laugh and walked off with her arm entwined around her boyfriend's.

_She's right...what was I even worried about?_

_You're simply hiding one worry over with another. For the gods' sake, TELL THEM_.

_You cannot tell them until-_

_Quiet, you!_

_Great, now the voices in my__head__are _arguing_._

When that starts happening, you really know it's time to turn in, and so, with a tired sigh, I turned and headed back to cabin eight.

-Ω-

_This is going to be uncomfortable..._

I stood outside the cabin, which shone silver and silent in the dark of night.

_Best just bite the bullet on this one._

I exhaled a breath and marched up to the door. My hand hesitated on the handle for only a second before carefully and quietly opening the door and slipping inside.

I closed the door behind me with equal silence and turned to regard the darkness. The cabin was mercifully quiet, each of the Hunters lying silent in their slumber. I hung my head in slight relief and slid quietly into my bed by the window.

I let out a quiet breath and lay back, closing my eyes.

"Armani..." Thalia's voice cut through the silence like a cold, calm blade.

I was silent for a moment as I stared up at the ceiling. "Yes?"

"...Next time you're on our side."

A grateful smile played across my face as I closed my eyes. "Understood..."

-Ω-

I awoke both suddenly and quite unnaturally. I registered how dark it was, and could tell by the moon's position through the window that I'd only been asleep an hour or so at most.

It was then that I realized how cold I felt, and I meant _cold_. That shivering feeling was pulsing from its origin in the stone resting in my pocket, through my heart and throughout my body more powerfully than ever before.

I wanted to panic, to cry out, to do something, but I couldn't, I was frozen, tensed up almost rigid. That was when her voice spoke again, only this time they were different words, but somehow a hundred times more chilling.

_It's time._

I opened my mouth to cry out, but couldn't. It almost felt like I'd suddenly detached from myself, like I was falling away from my own perspective, from my seat of control in my own body. Falling into darkness...

What made it more disorientating was what I saw through my eyes as I descended into darkness:

My body was standing up...

-Ω-

"I'm glad you could make it, Percy," Annabeth said with a smile as they reached the top of the hill overlooking the camp. She leaned sideways, her blond curls spilling over her boyfriend's shoulder.

Percy's hand gripped tighter around Annabeth's as he looked on. His first sight of Camp was one of the things he always most looked forward to. The hearth was still burning a welcoming orange in the distance, the night air was so perfectly warm, and his mom had even gotten him out of school a day early so he could come with Annabeth and Rachel to camp. He smiled as he leaned his head down against Annabeth's. "Yeah, me too. So would you like to take a nice moonlit-"

"Okay, _okay._ Enough of the lovey-dovey, I had enough of it on the ride over," interrupted Rachel as she pried her way between the pair. "Come on, I wanna go see it," said the redhead excitedly as she marched on ahead.

"Are you sure about this, Rachel?" asked Percy with a raised eyebrow as he followed after the girl. "I mean, sure, the Big House isn't the Plaza, but you'll be living in a _cave._"

She swung about, beaming. "I know! Isn't it awesome?"

Percy just sighed and followed, with Annabeth at his side. He glanced up at the dragon guarding the pine as he passed. "'Sup, Peleus?"

The dragon in question opened a single eye and grunted once in acknowledgement before returning to its slumber about the pine.

Annabeth walked ahead as they approached the Big House, "I'm going to check in with Chiron, be right back." She kissed Percy quickly on the cheek, ran up the stairs to the door and let herself in.

Rachel rocked on her heels impatiently. "Come on... I wanna go check out my new digs."

Percy glanced idly at the door, and then slowly around him. "Just give Annabeth a minute; I'm sure she- Sweet Zeus!" Percy suddenly gasped, hand on chest. "How do you spring up like that?"

Rachel frowned and followed Percy's stare, then blinked herself. Standing not five feet away, dressed as black as the night, was Armani Dove. His silver eyes glistened curiously.

There was a tiny, unreadable smile on his face as he silently regarded the two. He inclined his head and replied in an amused voice. "Oh, _you know me._" Those eyes narrowed analytically at the other half-blood. "Mister Jackson."

Percy's eyebrows rose at the phrasing of his name. "Why yes, _Mister Dove_, it is I. So what's up, man? You're up late."

That odd, strangely amused smile didn't budge, and although Percy didn't admit it, it was sort of creeping him out, and this was a guy who counted a son of Hades among his friends.

Armani surveyed the area about him. "Oh, just out for a night stroll."

With a start, Percy suddenly realized his fingers had been drumming away on the spot in his jeans pocket where Riptide lay. He regarded the half-blood before him. It was definitely the same Armani, the same demigod he had fought against hordes of the undead with, the same demigod who had sparred with him and spent three hours loosing arrows at the son of Poseidon just to test how invulnerable he really was.

They'd both slept well that night.

But there was _something_... It was subtle, not like one of the situations where he knew the kindly old lady they had just met would turn out to be a fire-breathing dragon or some such, but still just a little off in some way. Although to be honest, those silver eyes had always creeped him out a little. He reminded Percy just a little too much of his mother to be entirely relaxed around him.

"If it isn't little Armani," chimed Rachel, as she looked slyly at him. "So how's Lya doing?"

"Divorced, in a manner of speaking." He cocked his head and took a step closer. "_So_, the priestess of Delphi..."

Rachel blinked in surprise this time. She glanced at Percy and back, before chuckling slightly. "Why _yes._Mister Jackson and the priestess are here at your service." Rachel glanced back at the doors. "Where's Annabeth at? I want to check out my cave."

Armani's brow clenched, as if recalling something. His smile returned almost immediately. "Ah, yes. If you'd like, I could show you the way, Rachel. It's just down the hill from here. Percy and Annabeth can catch up in a moment." He turned about and nodded to a spot concealed just behind a ridge further down the hill.

Percy glanced at the doors and back. "I…ahh, I really think we should wait for..." he trailed off with a groan, as Rachel had already began walking excitedly off in the direction indicated, with the son of Artemis walking slowly behind, his hands clasped calmly behind his back.

Percy looked after them and turned back to the Big House and let out an exasperated breath.

_I suppose it could have just been me..._

-Ω-

"Oh, I _love it!"_cried Rachel excitedly as she circled the cave entrance, which had already been decked out with its own lit hearth and a collection of miscellaneous and bizarre artifacts. Rachel stopped suddenly in her examinations and swung about to face the demigod who had stopped quite close to her and was now regarding her with a strange stare.

"So, what do you mean 'divorced'? And I thought you'd be very happy together."

That smile turned amused again for a second. "Such things are just not to be, Ms. Dare. It's very good to see you."

Rachel laughed quietly, "It's nice to see you too, Armani, I was- Oh!" she gasped as, without a word, he suddenly enveloped her in his arms. Despite the situation, Rachel just laughed it off and hugged him back a little unsurely. "_Oookay_, it's very nice to see you too. Though you'd best let me go, it'd be really bad if anyone saw us like this."

He glanced up, looking deep into her eyes, locking her gaze with his deep pools of silver. His hand slowly reached up and stroked the side of her cheek.

Rachel's eyes seemed to glaze over as she wavered on her feet and Armani cupped the back of her head, and then, with almost practiced grace, pressed his lips to hers...

-Ω-

"W-what?" Armani suddenly gaped, glancing about himself in utter bewilderment.

Rachel shook her head. "Wow, what was that? Almost dozed off there for a second. I'm sorry, Armani. What were we talking about again?" Getting no response, she turned about to find the half-blood in question looking at her with the most confused stare imaginable.

"Rachel Dare?" He asked, one eyebrow raised.

She laughed in response. "_Yeah._Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Priestess of Delphi. Boy, you really can't decide what to call me tonight."

He continued looking at her with stunned eyes, "W-what are you doing here?"

Rachel frowned at him in confusion. "What are you on about? I came down to check out my new residence."

Armani's eyes flicked left and right as he nodded. "Okay, question two: What am _I_ doing here?"

Rachel's eyes widened as she finally realized the son of Artemis wasn't joking. There was genuine fear and confusion in his eyes. "Armani... You came out and met us; you just walked me down here."

His eyes were still wide and unblinking. "Rachel, I don't even remember leaving my cabin. I just found myself standing here a second ago."

Rachel looked at him as another scary thought occurred to her. "It's weird... I think I just blacked out for a moment back there too."

"So you found it alright, did you?" came a familiar voice, and both gave a start as Chiron trotted into view with Percy and Annabeth at his sides.

Armani did another double take and took a step back in surprise. "Percy? Annabeth? What...When?"

Percy cocked his head. "_Oh,_so remembered my first name at last, did you? Well, that's a start, I guess."

Armani glanced fearfully at Rachel and back. The girl caught his gaze and raised a hand. "Umm, Mister Chiron? I think something weird might be going on."

Percy rolled his eyes. "As opposed to all the _normal_ stuff that's going on?"

Rachel shook her head. "No, it's just... ah..." she trailed off as she grasped her lower chest suddenly.

Percy glanced idly at her. "What's up, Rachel? Indigestion? Well, you _did_ want that extra burrito..."

She laughed, still clutching her chest. "Y-yeah, it's probably just..." she suddenly let out a pained groan as both arms covered her chest and she doubled over onto her knees.

Annabeth rushed forwards. "Rachel!"

Suddenly her head snapped back up, teeth bared, as an eruption of dark jade light shone from behind her eyes. She opened her mouth and a stream of equally dark smoke steamed out.

"Get back!" Chiron snapped as the eerily dark smoke surrounded the teenager.

Rachel exhaled a ghostly sigh, and then spoke.

"_I am the Priestess of Delphi...speaker of prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Know me and heed my words well..."_

_To be continued…_

[A/N] Okay, so far, so good. Expect chapter 2 up soon.


	2. Chapter 2: Shards of Time

[A/N] I'll cut straight to it and get the tale moving…

**The Lost Prince**

**Chapter 2: Shards of Time**

_'Child of the Virgin, Hunter and Half-blood,_

_Son of the Ocean, Hound of the Seas._

_Into the heart of the divine mountainside_

_Travel you deep into the dark, to the edge of the void._

_Seeking to reclaim the legacy of Kronos,_

_With the blood of the lost shall you pierce Time's veil,_

_And return the Child of Troizenos'._

Annabeth caught Rachel before she could collapse and immediately laid her down in the bed.

I, however, was rooted to the spot, Rachel's words echoing through my ears.

There was something else too; something was _off_. It sounded different from the last prophecy I had seen the Oracle deliver, subtly so, but different nonetheless. It was that _light_. The bright, luminous green of the oracle's light had been replaced by a dark jade glow. But then I did only have one example for comparison, so I suppose it could have just been me.

Percy was frowning too, I noticed. He probably noticed something was seriously off as well. "That barely even rhymed..."

Then again...perhaps not. Though I suspect his words were to make light of what he was truly thinking; I had seen the momentary look flash over his eyes when that Titan's name was mentioned.

I noticed Chiron deep in thought. He looked quite disturbed by the prophecy, and I could understand why. It had directly mentioned the name of his father, the Titan lord Kronos, and we all knew that names had power. Speaking the Lord of Time's name aloud, even in hushed conversations, was rarely advisable, never mind from the mouth of an Oracle.

"I don't get it," mused Percy. "Forget his legacy, why would anyone want to reclaim _anything_ of Kronos'?"

Chiron frowned. "I don't know, Percy, but we are in dangerous territory here. A quest has been issued by the Priestess of Delphi, and we have no choice but to answer it. We shall have to discuss this in the morning."

-α-

An emergency meeting was called the next morning. The Hunters' departure was also postponed, lest the prophecy be relevant to their presence.

"So," mused Thalia as she lay back on the sofa, "I'm going to assume the first part is painfully obvious."

I sat on the far end of the sofa, my fingers running over the stone in my pocket, deep in thought. I didn't look up as I spoke. "Yeah, that'd have to be me..."

"You don't sound surprised," noted Chiron, who was back in his wheelchair form.

I shook my head and leaned back, regarding the others in the room. "No, I'm not..."

_It's not cold any more..._

_Thalia was right though...Some of this is obvious, way too obvious._

I heard the Centaur sigh. "Very well, moving right along..."

Percy spoke up at that point. "Well unless there's another son of Poseidon hanging around camp that I've never heard about, then I guess I'm in too...for a change." The demigod let out a long, weary sigh. "And here was me hoping for a nice quiet summer..."

"No such luck, Percy," said William, patting him consolingly on the back as Annabeth squeezed on his hand.

"And a 'Hound of the Sea'? What in the heck is that?" asked Clarisse, who was lounging in one of the armchairs.

Surprisingly, she was answered by a tiny, timid voice coming from the corner of the room. "_Cu Na Mara..."_We all turned to realize the voice had in fact come from Aren, who was sitting on the bottom of the stairway with her legs pulled up to her chest."

I saw Chiron nod thoughtfully out of the corner of my eye. "Hound of the Sea..."

Percy blinked and looked between them. "Sorry, what?"

Aren didn't move as she replied in that same tone, "It's my name; McNamara. It was derived from the old Gaelic expression _cu na mara_...It's me."

I saw Aren glance at me sideways, her gaze immediately shifting back to the front. She was frightened, almost terrified.

I turned to look at Thalia, who was already looking at me out the corner of her eye. She looked round at Chiron. "Maybe...Maybe I should go instead, if one Hunter goes instead of-"

"-No," Chiron cut her off in a level but firm tone. "Going against a prophecy, especially one that seems to be as...strangely succinctly worded as this one, could only lead to disaster. I'd like you to recall what happened the last time we went against the standard rules of the quest. You especially should be wary of that, Thalia."

She gripped the fabric of her pants and gave a tiny nod in response. I, of course, knew what the centaur was implying. A joint venture between Hunters and campers a few years back had lead to them taking more than the three that is traditional. As a result, be it bad luck or otherwise, two were lost during that journey, including Thalia's predecessor.

Aren shook her head. "It's all right, I'll go."

William glanced at her. "I don't get it. What was the problem in the first place?"

My eyes flicked to Thalia and back, but Aren responded with as reassuring a smile as she could manage. "It's nothing, really, just a little nervous...not every day you're effectively outright named in a quest."

"So we have our three," said Percy. "Now if only we knew where to _go_, and just what it was we were supposed to be after."

"The 'Divine Mountainside'..." said Annabeth in a contemplative tone. "Olympus?"

Chiron hummed in thought. "It could be... There are few other clues as to where else it could be."

Percy glanced at Chiron. "What? So then we're supposed to just jump into a bottomless void?"

I felt it was time for me to speak up. "I don't think so... I think there's something there, something waiting for us."

Percy looked over at me. "The Legacy of Kronos? No offense, but I think any Legacy of Kronos can be safely left _unclaimed."_

Chiron, despite how much this subject matter was probably painfully personal, was being quite detached over it. "Don't be too hasty, Percy."

The son of Poseidon looked quite surprised. "Don't be _hasty_? How can you of all people say that, Chiron? This is _Kronos_ we're talking about. Remember... Kronos, big bad Titan? Caused a bit of a ruckus not too long ago?"

The centaur rolled his eyes. "I'm more than aware of the ramifications of dealing with anything involving my father. But you have to understand, Percy, a legacy is not always something with the intent of what it's associated with. A legacy is something that has been left behind. In a way, I myself am a legacy of Kronos. Would you judge me in the same way?"

Percy blushed for a second. "Of course not."

_Centaur knows how to make a point, I'll give him that._

"Very well then. Let's carry on."

We carried on debating meanings and definitions for several hours. It wasn't until we reconvened after lunch that Rachel finally awoke to join us.

The redhead half-staggered into the room shortly after we had sat down. "What'd I miss?" she asked, her hand rubbing her forehead.

Annabeth immediately got up to assist her. "Rachel! You really shouldn't be walking around if you're still feeling the aftereffects from last night," she chided as she assisted the Oracle to one of the chairs.

Chiron took a few steps forward. "How are you feeling, Rachel?"

She rubbed her brow and shook her head. "Fine...Got a splitting headache, though."

William got up and crossed over to her chair, sitting down on the arm. "Here, let me take a look." He gently moved her hand aside and replaced it with his own.

"It's fine, really I…_hmmm_..." she trailed off as a dreamy smile spread across her face.

The son of Apollo pulled his hand back a second later and sat back in his seat. "Better?" he asked with a small smile.

Rachel blinked a few times, rubbing the side of her head. "Yeah... what was_ that_?"

William inclined his head, smiling smugly. "Let's just say I have magical hands. I've been curing headaches and migraines since I was twelve."

Chiron eyed her inquisitively. "Tell me, Rachel. Have you ever felt that way before?"

She frowned in thought then shook her head. "No... I mean, I always feel a bit wiped the next day, but I've never woke up with a pain like that before. Why? Is it important?"

The centaur eyed her for a second. "I'm not sure. Hopefully, it is not."

I looked at Rachel for a moment. I had a bad feeling, and I was not entirely sure what it was about.

_Would you like to tell them?_

I gave a start at the thought, and another when I realized that the other voice didn't surface either at the concept of telling the others. It would appear the voice in my head had departed...one of them, anyway. The chill inside me also was gone.

I opened my mouth to speak, but was cut off by Thalia. "Shall we get back to it then?"

I heaved a sigh. I suppose I could hold off telling them for just a little while longer.

Chiron nodded. "I think we should return to the issue of your first destination. If your quest indeed begins on Olympus, I would recommend you at least have an idea of what you're looking for before leaving."

I nodded. "Can't just turn up on Zeus' doorstep and ask if he mind we go rummaging in the basement."

Thalia's brow creased in thought. "Maybe I should ask Lady Artemis..."

And then all of us practically leaped out of our skin as an unnaturally calm, quiet voice cut through the room. "Ask Lady Artemis what?"

Everyone except me pretty much leaped to their feet in shock (except Chiron, as he was already standing) and turned to find the goddess in question, who was standing silently in the doorway.

Thalia and Aren immediately gave respectful bows. "Lady Artemis."

Chiron and the others also showed their reverence, the centaur shook his head, "My lady, this is indeed an honor. We had no idea you would be coming in person."

I raised a hand. "Hi, mom." I was speaking calmly, but there was suddenly another feeling surging through me: relief. And I didn't know why. It was like I had been running from something dark, faceless and terrifying that I couldn't see, and had suddenly reached safety.

Thalia spoke, interrupting my thoughts. "My lady, I thought you were planning to meet up with us after we left. There was no need to take the trouble of coming in person."

My mother inclined her head. "Perhaps...And indeed, I was intending to meet you after your departure. However I was summoned here when a matter was brought to me that I thought would require my personal attention."

"And what matter would that be, Lady Artemis?" asked the centaur respectfully.

As if to answer his question, she glanced over her shoulder and another small figure appeared at her side in the doorway.

It was Ari.

Immediately my heart sank.

_Oh dear..._

As if sensing my thoughts, both Ari and my mother's eyes turned to me simultaneously. I couldn't read my mother's expression; it was scarily blank.

I saw Percy glance back and forth between us. "W-what is it?"

My Mother's eyes narrowed slightly. "In due time." She glanced at Ari and nodded. Ari bowed her head and walked past the goddess, sitting down next to me on the sofa.

She glanced at me sheepishly out the corner of the corner of her eye, then immediately looked away.

I leaned into her ear. "You _told on me?_"

Ari winced, but didn't reply as my mother spoke again, and I looked up to see her scowling disapprovingly past us all. "_Him,_on the other hand, I don't know. He just followed me here." She nodded behind us sharply and all our heads turned to the figure lounging on the stairs.

Apollo smiled and waved a hand. "Howdy, campers!"

"Dad!" William gasped, smiling widely. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Apollo," said Percy, smiling also.

"Hey, kids. Hope you don't mind me dropping in like this," grinned the sun god as he slid off the stairs and stood up.

Chiron glanced incredulously between the two gods. "My lord Apollo, welcome," said the centaur with a bow, the others following suit.

Apollo waved a regal hand dismissively. "Yes, yes, we all know I'm awesome. But I'm here on business."

William cocked his head. "What's up, dad? Is something wrong?"

Apollo shrugged and approached Rachel. "I'm not sure..." he dropped down in front of her and Rachel flinched back slightly. "It's okay, gorgeous, I just want to take a little look."

She glanced between the god and the rest of us. "W-why? Is there something wrong with me?"

Apollo smiled reassuringly and materialized a toolbox by his foot. "Nah, probably just need a little maintenance." He reached down into his toolbox and pulled out an electric buzz-saw, which he fired to life. "Now, hold still, this may sting a little..."

Rachel yelped.

"_Brother_." Artemis said sternly. "Your Oracle or not, I will not have you frightening an innocent maiden. Behave."

Apollo just laughed as the saw and box disappeared in a puff of smoke. "_Honestly..._ I was only kidding. Here, just hold still a sec, Rachel."

A very pale Rachel Dare nodded mutely as Apollo leaned in. "R-right."

Apollo tapped his finger off Rachel's forehead and tilted his head, as if listening for something. His other hand reached up and began tweaking her hair. A high whining noise was audible as he twirled her hair slightly. It almost sounded like the noise you get when you adjust a radio. "Hmm...Strange. I'm getting a bit of interference here."

Rachel looked sheepishly at Apollo as he continued doing...whatever it was he was doing. "I did have a bit of a headache this morning."

Thalia shrugged. "It probably has something to do with the prophecy she received last night."

Apollo's hand froze, and I couldn't see the expression on his face as he let go of Rachel's hair and stood back up to full height. He turned silently about to regard Thalia. The daughter of Zeus seemed to shrink back from the uncharacteristically intense gaze that the sun god had aimed her way. He then narrowed his eyes at her and said two words that threw a very scary spin on the current situation.

"What prophecy?"

-α-

We explained things quickly to Apollo. He didn't move, didn't say a word as we spoke, he just stood there... _listening_ until we finished.

He bore a deep scowl by the time we were done, "How could you even _think_ that was one of mine?" It was odd; he almost seemed offended.

"Well, it _did_come from the Oracle," Annabeth pointed out.

Apollo glanced at us. "But, _come on._ It barely even _rhymed_, and when it did it was terrible!"

We all shared a split-second '_Don't say 'what else is new''_look as Apollo turned back to Rachel and pressed a finger back to her forehead. His brow knitted into a confused frown, "That's interesting..."

Rachel blinked, looking cross-eyed at the god's finger. "What is?"

Apollo's eyes flicked about in thought, as if seeing something that wasn't there. "You're missing memories. About two minutes' worth at best guess."

I saw Rachel's eyes flick to me and back. The moment was not missed by Apollo as he glanced back at me over his shoulder and then back at Rachel. "What do you mean, 'blackouts'?" He asked.

Rachel looked baffled for a second, then seemed to realize the god was looking into her mind. He was obviously still doing so, as Apollo stood up again and turned about. He looked at me. "You too, huh?"

I swallowed nervously and glanced away, but Apollo approached anyways and pressed his hand to my head. I had guilt plastered all over my face, and I wasn't sure why. The god recoiled a second later in shock. "_Sweet Hades!_"

My mother took a step forwards. "What is it?"

Apollo regarded me sternly. "He's missing huge chunks of his memory. And there's something else..."

My Mother approached. She glanced at Apollo and me. "What, what is it?"

Apollo regarded her seriously. "Sis, someone's been in there..."

A saw my Mother's eyes widen and she batted Apollo's hand away from me. She quickly crouched in front of me and I felt her press a small hand to the side of my head as we locked eyes. I felt a strange sensation, similar to when one of them tries to read my mind, but different. It felt like a warm wave sweeping back and forth inside my skull.

"Armani... What's going on?" asked my mother in quiet voice, looking deep into my eyes. The concern stung slightly.

"Whoever that was has hidden their tracks well." commented Apollo. "I doubt you could've sensed anything was up, sis. Whatever was interfering with him was obviously being done by some sort of proxy."

I tried to avert my eyes, but found myself unable to pull my gaze away from her. "I... it's nothing I-"

"I told you, you don't need to hide anything from me any more," she whispered, cutting me off.

I found myself suddenly very able to look away from her, if only because I didn't feel worthy of her affection in that instant.

That was when Ari, her voice small and quiet, spoke up. "Armani, is there something you want to tell us now?"

I glanced sideways, my Mother's hands unmoving, still looking inside my mind, trying to identify something. "Like what?"

Her eyes flicked down at my leg. "Like whatever it is you've got in your left pocket."

My hand moved unconsciously to the lump in my jeans where the rock was.

_They know...So you may tell them, just like she said_

"Just like _who_ said?" demanded my mother suddenly.

I didn't respond as, almost mechanically, I allowed my hand to reach into my pocket and withdrew the contents in my fist. My mother stood up as I extended my upturned fist for general view, and then opened it.

Ari let out a hiss of shock and bolted to her feet, stepping quickly back from the object. "Where did you _get_ that?" she demanded fearfully.

My Mother was obviously not as afraid of the object, as she had already taken it from my hand and was regarding it. She was curious, but judging by the look of loathing in her eyes, would have destroyed it with her gaze alone if she could have.

Percy stood up and regarded it curiously. "What is it? A rock?"

Ari gulped. "It's a Chaos Nexus. It's usually used to generate an aura of general chaos by influencing one person alone into doing something. It's effectively a condensed chunk of my mother's power in its purest form."

Thalia rounded on me as I sat, looking for all the world like a scolded child. "You had something like this with you all this time and you didn't think to _tell us_?" demanded the lieutenant angrily.

"Tried to..." I mumbled. "I wanted to scream out so badly...but I couldn't. She wouldn't let me."

"It probably wasn't his fault, Thalia," Ari said. "Eris can influence people to the point they can resist if they _choose_and genuinely _want_ to, but it was worse for him; my mother knows him. She knew exactly what to say and do to keep him restrained. Free to act out, but trapped by his own desires in a cage custom-designed for him...He had no choice."

I still felt ashamed, but then that hand was back on my cheek, and I felt my Mother's warmth. I closed my eyes and basked in it for a brief second. I heard a crunch and saw a trail of black dust drift to the ground as Artemis crushed the stone in her fist.

Percy broke the uneasy silence. "So... he was being controlled?"

Apollo inclined his head. "In a manner of speaking. That was an extremely dangerous and powerful artifact. Eris must've planted it on him at some point."

I sat, letting strength surge into me as a well of anger began filling me from inside. I shoved myself to my feet, a look of indescribable rage on my face.

My Mother took a step back and everyone seemed to do a double take as I glanced angrily about the room.

_Enough of this._

"A-Armani," Percy began, "Are you-"

"WHERE ARE YOU?" I roared out at the walls, "I KNOW YOU'RE THERE! YOU'RE _ALWAYS THERE!_"

Percy glanced about. "Armani... There's no one there, you-"

"I said **SHOW YOURSELF!**"

I felt Ari touch my hand comfortingly. "Armani, it's okay, you don't-"

She was cut off, however, as a tired female voice drifted over the room. "You know, you really were much more adorable as a toddler... You've practically lost all of your cuteness factor, little Armani..."

I didn't hesitate. I swung about and fired an arrow straight at the waiting form of Eris, who was leaning against the far doorway.

She raised a palm and the projectile exploded into black smoke. I was so angry, felt so used, I didn't _care_ what she knew about my father for that one second. In that one blinding instant, all I wanted was that damned goddess wiped out of existence.

I felt my mother's hand rest itself on my bow arm. I gritted my teeth, vision covered in red haze that slowly dissipated as a cool feeling coursed through me from where my mother's hand made gentle contact. I took several heavy breaths and my bow vanished, my arms dropping to my side.

"Be still, child," she whispered soothingly before stepping out in front of me.

Eris regarded my mother coldly. "Hello, Artemis. Is there something I can do for you?"

My mother held her gaze in silence for a moment. "Well?"

Eris just smiled. "Well, what?"

I could feel a sudden tension in the air, radiating from my mother's small form. "_Careful_, Eris. Do not forget what happened during our last encounter. I should warn you that it is taking extreme restraint on my part not to chastise you myself."

"_Chastise me_?" Eris echoed, practically spitting the words out. "There you go again, lauding your superiority over me. I am only here because your dear child demanded I show myself. I was perfectly happy to remain in the shadows and observe. But if you insist-" I flinched as a _woosh_ shot by my head and a golden arrow embedded itself in the door frame an inch from Eris' head. This time the goddess froze dead and I turned to see Apollo with an arrow aimed square at her head.

His eyes seemed to blaze as he said in a blistering tone, "Explain yourself."

Eris' teeth gritted, her black eyes seething with anger. "How _dare _you_-_"

Apollo cut her off, his tone now terrifyingly neutral. "You interfered with my Oracle."

Eris sighed tiredly, yanking the arrow that had pinned some of her hair to the door free. "I did no such thing."

Apollo scowled. "Then how?"

She raised a finger as if to make a point, then leveled it squarely at me. I blinked, scowling reflexively at her. "What?"

She smiled. "Technically, _you_were the one who 'interfered' with her."

I couldn't keep the bewildered look from my face and I glanced at Rachel, who bore a similar look. "I'm afraid I really don't follow you, Eris."

She sighed again. "Very well. I really didn't want it to come to this, but..." she trailed off and raised her hand again, then snapped her fingers. A tiny wisp of curled smoke escaped it. I hissed in time with Rachel as a sharp pain shot through my head, like someone had just stabbed a cold needle into the side of my skull.

"Eris!" Artemis snapped warningly.

"Don't worry, oh goddess-of-the-doting-parent, I was just giving something back."

The pain vanished as quickly as it came. I immediately looked back at Eris. "What did you just do? I don't-" I froze suddenly as I recalled something, something that had not been there before: A memory of my body getting up as if of its own accord; of walking up to the Big House; of walking with Rachel to her cave; of approaching her, and then...

I swallowed a gulp. "_Ah_..."

My head turned automatically around to Rachel, whose own eyes rose to meet mine. A bright flush spread across my cheeks. Apollo, who had been looking intently at Rachel, suddenly whipped his head around toward me. "You made out with my Oracle!"

There was a series of shocked gasps and I instantly reverted to my usual way of handling Apollo: shouting at him. "I did not!"

I glanced quickly at Rachel, whose face was now as red as mine, her hand over her lips.

I glared at Eris accusingly, trying to ignore the fact that Aren seemed to be mirroring my emotion, except her gaze was aimed directly at me. "You did this! You were in control of me!"

Eris raised her finger again, "Only by proxy, through the nexus I gave you as a present. And, as you've already discussed, you kept that stone of your own free will. As you know, if you had _really_ wanted to give the game away, then you could have, but you didn't. Though I will admit that _technically_ it wasn't little Armani in control at the time, it was still directly due to his own initial choice that I was allowed to do what I did."

I looked at Apollo, who was still staring angrily at the goddess. "Uncle, is that true?"

His gleaming teeth gritted in his mouth as he echoed Eris' own word. "_Technically..._"

The goddess smiled happily in response, clapping her hands together. "And isn't that all that really matters in the end?"

I closed my eyes to calm myself, fist clenched tightly at my side. "I'm so sorry, Rachel..." I said in one weary, tired breath.

"It's okay," she mumbled in response.

I opened my eyes to regard Eris once again and spoke, a note of tired desperation in my voice. "Why are you doing this? I thought you said you and I were done. Or was that another lie?"

The smugness in her eyes seemed to soften a tiny amount. "I didn't want to do it this way." Her eyes flicked briefly to Artemis. "If your dearest mother hadn't taken the little parting gift that I gave you the last time we met at camp, then none of this would have been necessary. There would have been no need for me to plant the nexus on you. You would have done the same thing, only far more seamlessly. My little Ari wouldn't have been nearly as suspicious and Artemis would not have been summoned. At best, my little 'prophecy' would have been seen as a slight anomaly, and you would have been on your merry little way. But no, little Arty had to go and make things a thousand times more complicated than they needed to be..."

I continued glaring a hole in her. "You didn't answer my question. _Why_are you doing this?"

Her face didn't change expression, though the look in her eyes seemed to change again, and there was a peculiar note in her voice as she replied. "Because I care about you too much not to."

She seemed to almost smile sadly as I gaped at her whilst she calmly strolled across the room to the front door. I looked back over my shoulder at her as she opened the door, "We're even now, Armani. I've done all I can for you. The rest is up to you. Best of luck."

"Eris." Apollo spoke suddenly, and the goddess halted, about to close the door behind her. "I just wanted to say... Your rhyming was terrible."

She chuckled, but didn't turn around. "I don't want to hear that from _you_." She closed the door and I caught a blaze of light from under it as the goddess departed.

There was silence in the room as we all assimilated what had happened.

"So..." Rachel suddenly said, a look of deep thought on her face. "...Does this mean I kissed a girl?"

"Did you like it?" replied Apollo reflexively.

I rubbed my brow tiredly, "Apollo, sing Katy Perry on your own time. I'm going on the quest..."

Aren blinked in surprise. "What? But there's no reason. We already know that it came from Eris and not-"

Apollo cut in at this point. "It doesn't matter. The point of the matter is that this _prophecy _came from the lips of the Oracle. Regardless of the source, Eris could only speak truth through her lips in her capacity as the priestess of Delphi."

"What is it with people and my lips?" muttered Rachel.

"So the prophecy was still true?" Percy asked.

Apollo inclined his head. "Has to be. At least, Eris had to _believe_ it was."

Chiron nodded in response. "Well, regardless of the irregularity of the way it has come about, the Oracle has still charged some of you with a quest. Though since it would be on a voluntary basis in this case I must ask if it's still accepted."

I narrowed my eyes. "You already have my response..." I mumbled, suddenly finding the flooring very interesting.

Chiron glanced at Percy. I saw the son of Poseidon glance questioningly at Annabeth. She simply smiled and squeezed his hand once. He nodded at her and turned back to the centaur. "Count me in too."

Finally everyone turned to Aren, who was staring nervously at my mother. She regarded the small Huntress and then inclined her head. "It is your choice, child. I will not influence you one way or the other. Simply know you will have my blessing no matter what you choose."

I knew what was coming, and was already dreading how uncomfortable things would be, but I was also strangely worried that her response might actually be a negative.

She nodded. "I will accompany them too, Lady Artemis."

"Well, now that that's settled," said Chiron suddenly, "I suppose we should at last return to the matter at hand. Deciphering as much of this '_prophecy'_ prior to your departure should be our first task."

We were all silent in thought for a brief moment when Percy shrugged. "Anyone else thinking we should've just asked Eris while she was still here?"

Annabeth shook her head. "No, there'd-" she stalled mid-word however as her mind processed his recommendation.

We found ourselves exchanging brief glances at each other.

I cocked my head. "Yeah...Probably should've done that...curses."

_Curses?_

Ari smiled. "I don't think my Mom would've given anything away even if you did ask."

"_Deep into the dark to the edge of the void..."_mused Percy suddenly, bringing us back to the subject at hand. "Any ideas?"

Chiron ran a finger down his jaw in thought as Annabeth spoke. "A void in the heart of the divine mountainside, perhaps?"

Percy frowned. "Isn't there like a huge gap under Olympus or something? I saw it when Kronos cracked open the floor."

Chiron nodded. "That's the Empty Space. It's the gap that separates Olympus from the mortal realm. It's said to go on for eternity."

"Then how are you supposed to reach the edge of it?" Thalia asked.

Chiron responded, still deep in thought. "The bronze mines..."

"Chiron?" I asked.

He blinked, coming back to attention. "I was just thinking. There are the celestial bronze mines that run through Olympus. I suppose it _is_ possible that some of them could open up into the Empty Space."

Percy looked at me. "So what do you think?"

My eyebrows rose. "I suppose it's worth a look. We have no better leads to go on. We'd best go take a look in the mines. I'm not exactly sure what we're supposed to be looking for, though."

"I get the feeling that we'll know what it is when we find it," said Aren seriously.

Percy nodded. "Yeah, that's usually how it works. And then we have to use this 'legacy' and this 'blood of the lost' to 'pierce time's veil'?"

I shrugged. "Lord of time; makes sense, I suppose. Like Aren said, we'll probably only figure it out when we get there."

Percy smiled weakly. "Looks like we're going in as blind as usual. Well I guess that's just the last bit to go then. Who do you suppose this 'Child of Troizenos' is, anyways?"

Annabeth spoke up then. "Well Troizenos was a city in Argolis, southern Greece, _Ancient _Greece_,_that is. So unless this child was a god then there's no way they could still be alive today."

Abruptly, my Mother stood up. Her face was blank and disturbingly serious. "Mom, what's wrong?"

"Lady Artemis?" asked Thalia, getting to her feet immediately.

She said nothing as she turned and headed for the door. "Ari, Thalia, it is time for us to leave."

Aren stood up abruptly. "You're just _going_?"

I could tell she was trying extremely hard not to look back. "I can be involved no further. I was not named. This time it is not my quest," she said, but the way her hand was clenched around the doorknob told me she wished otherwise. The sheer tenseness of her was a disturbingly human reaction.

"Mother..." I said seriously, and I was shocked to find an accusatory note in my own voice.

"You will succeed. And you _will_ return to me safely." She spoke in a soft voice as she opened the door and took a step out with Ari and Thalia following uncertainly after. "Know my thoughts will be with you all, and that you have my faith. All of you." And without another word she strolled out with her Hunters behind her, the door closing seemingly on its own behind her.

Aren took a step forward. "But-" I grabbed her by the wrist and gently ushered her back down. She looked at me questioningly and I shook my head mutely. Her eyes fell as she sank back into the chair beside me.

Percy frowned at the door. "What was that all about? Armani?" He asked, looking over at me when he saw I was still looking at the closed door with narrowed eyes.

_She knew... She knew exactly what that last line meant._

"It's probably nothing... Gods have other business to attend to I guess."

Percy inclined his head. "At least Artemis gave us her blessing. That's got to count for something, I guess."

Apollo stretched his arms up. "Well, I suppose that's my cue to go too. I'm good at making these games up, but it's not my job to solve them. That'd take all the fun out of it." He smiled, his body starting to glow. "Best of luck, kiddies!"

"Catch you later, dad," said William with a smile.

Apollo winked once and we all glanced away as he vanished in a swirl of flame, inadvertently setting a nearby throw pillow on fire.

I stood up sharply as Chiron patted out the flames. "We'll figure out the rest later...I'm setting off immediately."

"There's really no rush. You can make your preparations and we can look into this further," said Chiron, brushing charred threads off the couch.

I regarded the door. "No...Genuine prophecy or not, I have no intention of laying about when we know our heading. I'm leaving right away."

Chiron could tell from my tone that I wasn't leaving any room for argument. He could probably also tell that I wasn't about to explain the reasons for my impatience. "I see... In that case I'll have some provisions gathered for all of you immediately."

Aren stood up. "I want to go say goodbye to my sisters. I probably won't see them for a while."

I nodded and headed for the door. "And if you'll excuse me, I've got to go pick something up too..."

_-_α_-_

The Hephaestus' work area was, annoyingly, _empty_ as I strolled in. The fires were still blazing, several weapons were cooling off on racks and gadgets whose purpose I could only guess at were ticking and chuntering away about the walls.

"Lunch break," I grumbled, "_Perfect._Do _not_ have time for this._"_

"You don't need to wait, you know." I gave a slight start as Clarisse's voice startled me out of my thoughts. The daughter of Ares was leaning casually against the doorway, her tall frame casting a long shadow across the room. "They've already finished it."

"Finished? What do you mean?"

She didn't say anything as she crossed to one of the racks and moved towards one in particular; a short-sword obviously too small for someone of her size to utilize comfortably. "This is what you were after, isn't it?" She grabbed it by the hilt and pulled it free, twirling it once expertly in her hand before tossing it deftly through the air at me.

I caught it in one hand, raising the blade up to examine it. It was perfectly balanced, and even my muscle memory didn't seem to be able to feel a weight difference between it and my old sword.

I spun it once over in my hand experimentally. "Impressive... They made this in so short a time?"

She sighed. "Yeah, and I figured you'd be the sort to like things back exactly the way they were. You're dull like that."

"Hey. If it ain't broke...which in this case it was... don't fix it."

She rolled her eyes. "Too fragile, if you ask me..."

"Hey, that thing had survived hellhounds, shades, zombies and even bouts with gods. Thirty seconds in _your_hands, though..."

She just smirked at the remark and nodded at the weapon. "Yeah, well. I asked them to reinforce the blade and guard a bit this time 'round...shouldn't break so easily now."

I noticed that the blade did have a slight firmness to it that I hadn't seen before, and the guard was slightly thicker. I glanced up at her. "When you offered to replace my sword, what was my response?"

She appeared to strain to remember. "Sorry, mind's a blank."

I frowned. "I _said_ 'same again will do nicely'."

She rolled her eyes. "Pfft. What's the point if you don't work on your weaknesses? Besides, what's a few little alterations here and there?"

I frowned. "Still…wait, what do you mean _a few?_"

She just smiled innocently. She was very unskilled at it.

I cocked my head, and twirled the blade over my hand, sliding it into it's predecessor's sheathe. It fit like a glove. I sighed. "Thanks anyway. It was...nice of you."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I owed you a favor."

I inclined my head and strolled past her. "Still...Thanks."

As I left the room, she spoke once more. "Don't get yourself killed again, okay?"

I blinked and glanced back at her questioningly.

She just sighed. "It'd just be a real pain to prepare a _second_funeral for your puny behind."

I smiled. "As always, your concern is touching."

"What can I say?" she said as she pushed off from the wall she was leaning against and walked past me. "I'm just far too kind for my own good." And with non-too gentle elbow to my hip, she carried right on walking...

_She's a strange one, that girl..._

_-_α_-_

I had just exited Cabin Eight, bag slung over my shoulder, when I noticed Thalia a slight way off, deep in conversation with Aren, who also seemed to have completed her preparations.

The lieutenant had her palms resting on the smaller Hunter's shoulders. Whatever they'd been talking about was obviously over as the daughter of Zeus nodded once, Aren responding in kind before moving away from her.

She caught my eye and seemed to give a quick start, but quickly composed herself and fell into step beside me as I turned about and started walking towards the top of the hill.

"So what was that all about?" I asked, glancing at her out the corner of my eye. There seemed to be a serious air of concentration about her. Feeling a bit slow today, are we?

She blinked, then shook her head a little too quickly, "It's nothing...Thalia was just...giving me some parting advice."

I frowned and glanced back at where the lieutenant had been, "Oh? Anything I should know about?"

"N-no, it's nothing..."

I regarded her in silence as we walked. She seemed to be aware of my scrutiny too, as her normally peach colored cheeks became quite subtly inflamed. I nodded after a moment and turned my attention to the pine up ahead. "If you say so..."

Percy was already there waiting in its shadow, a rucksack hung over his shoulder. Annabeth was with him and seemed to be quickly questioning him on his last minute preparations.

"You sure you've got everything?" I caught her say as we approached.

He groaned. "For the sixth time, Annabeth, I've got everything I need. It's going to be fine."

"You have your map?" He nodded. "Ambrosia and nectar?" He rolled his eyes and nodded again. "Soap, toothbrush? You're always mpphh…" he silenced her quickly by resting his palms on her cheeks and covering her lips with his own.

It appeared to be very effective, as when he pulled away, hands on her shoulders now, she was very quiet. "I'm all prepared, Annabeth, that was the only thing missing."

The daughter of Athena blushed even redder if possible, and took him in her arms. "Be careful, Seaweed Brain," she moaned, hugging him tightly.

He just laughed back in response. "Hey...It's me."

She pulled back and looked up at him, scowling. "That's exactly my point."

He just laughed again and appeared to be leaning in to kiss her once more when Aren coughed loudly.

Annabeth gave startled gasp and took a brisk step backwards, blushing as Aren regarded her with a raised eyebrow. "Sorry..."

The Hunter merely nodded curtly in response as Annabeth gave him one last brief hug. "Come back soon, Percy."

He patted her back briefly. He then nodded behind me at something. "Looks like someone wants to say goodbye to you, too. Tackleglomp at six o'clock, Armani."

I frowned. "TacklewhAGGH!" I gasped as something small impacted me like a torpedo from behind and crushed me up against the trunk of the pine.

I grunted and pushed myself away.

_Tackleglomp...noted for future reference._

I didn't need to look down to know the identity of the owner of the pair of arms wrapped around my chest like a vice.

I looked behind me to sigh at the mop of flowing brown hair that was buried in my back. "Hello, Lya..."

Several disgruntled grunts came from the tree's reptilian guardian, so I pushed off and turned around, Lya staying clamped around me all the way.

I crouched down until her feet were touching the ground, and she reluctantly let go.

I turned about to find the tiny nymph looking up at me with her large brown eyes. Her tiny elfin face was screwed up into a pout, ears twitching irritably.

I knew what was coming, but sighed anyway. I'd been wanting to avoid my overly clingy associate prior to departure. Partly because she always made a scene of things, and party because, to be honest, I always sort of felt bad about leaving her by herself. After all, she did always seem so very small and fragile. Although when you're smaller than _me,_ that isn't exactly a difficult impression to pull off.

She didn't move, clad as usual in a full-length dress that appeared to be made of woven moss and leaves, brown hair trailing all the way down to her ankles.

I rested a hand down on top of her head. She closed her eyes, not budging away as I ruffled her hair gently. "What's wrong?"

She looked up at me, her olive tinted skin as pale as usual. "Are you going again?"

I exhaled a breath. "Yeah, just for a little bit..."

She grumbled for a moment."You're always going away."

I patted her gently on the head. "But I always come back. I'll come running back as soon as possible, promise. Okay?"

She nodded, her head still buried in my chest. "'Kay..."

I pushed her back gently, "Tell you what. Nico's coming back tomorrow. Why don't you hang with him for a while?" Lya muttered something I didn't catch, but it sounded like a grumbled agreement. Despite Nico being her polar opposite in natural terms, I knew she had come to enjoy playing around with him, much to his own chagrin. "And Clarisse will take care of you too, if you get too lonely."

She nodded once more, looking still glum. "Just come home quick, okay?"

I nodded one last time and peeled away before she managed to guilt me into staying completely. "You have my word."

And at that, we finally broke away over the crest of the hill and down over the open hill as we left to embark upon our journey.

We paused as a white van came to a stop at the bottom of the hill with Argus at the wheel. He beckoned down to us, revving the engine impatiently.

I cocked my head. "Driving, huh? I suppose it couldn't hurt for once..."

Aren frowned. "Why can't we just run? It'll probably be much faster."

Percy responded, "Unfortunately, not all of us run like the wind..."

"Perhaps we should just leave you and bring one of my sisters instead, then," grumbled the Huntress in response.

"_Aren_, be nice..." yours truly said tiredly. The blonde Hunter merely sighed in response.

Percy slapped me on the back none too gently and began marching towards the van. "Come on, Armani, let's get this show on the road."

I heaved a sigh and glanced sideways at Aren, who was already looking back at me. "Ready?" I asked.

She didn't even hesitate before nodding sharply and walking off after the son of Poseidon.

I let out a weary breath and swung my bag up over my shoulder, slowly following after my companions. "Why do I get the feeling that this is not going to be as simple as I'd first assumed?"

_To be continued…_

[A/N] and so closes chapter 2, next one will be up ASAP.


	3. Chapter 3: Timefall

[A/N] Okay, you know the drill, next beta is here. I'll save all further author's notes sections for the final chapter.

**The Lost Prince**

**Chapter 3: Timefall**

**-P-**

Something was definitely up between those two.

I realized this as I sat watching Aren and Armani, who were sitting in a strange silence in the front seat of the van, with me riding in back.

It wasn't a silence-you-could-cut-with-a-knife sort of silence. It was just a strange and really uncomfortable one.

Now, Annabeth might call me dense sometimes (and with good reason, much as I hate to admit it), but nearly getting killed dozens of times and caught in countless traps (I've gotten better at it recently, really!) causes you to learn to notice things in the world around you.

I couldn't tell what it was, though. After a few minutes puzzling about it, I shrugged. Hunters didn't like boys, after all. That was probably it.

I finally caught on when I leaned forward into the front to change the radio station.

Aren immediately tried to keep her distance from my arm, seemingly okay with it being there but still not wanting to touch it. Hunters were like that around boys, usually. Most people had a personal space, but they seemed to keep like an extra foot in there when it came to us highly toxic members of the lesser sex.

And that was when I saw it.

She leaned away from me, and ended up almost touching Armani.

This didn't seem weird at that second; after all, he was a Hunter too, and I suppose they had exceptions for their goddess' kid, but it was when I sat down again that it finally clicked.

She had barely moved back.

Don't get me wrong, she shuffled back a bit to the left, but what got my attention was how close she was when she settled down again. It wasn't close enough for me to say, like, _intimate_, or anything, and anyway if I did she would probably kill me and dance on my grave, but it was just that little bit closer than you would sit with your friend. If anything, it almost looked like the way me and Annabeth would sit when we're-

_No._

_No way. No. That's just..._

I shook my head to clear away the comparison and decided to put it down to just being cramped together in the small delivery van. I mean, it's not like I could just out and say _Hey, Aren. Say, are you and that boy an item? Promise I won't tell_. I might be nearly invincible, but even I wouldn't want to push my luck that far.

I decided to try and break the ice with a conversation. After all, we were going to be working together for quite a while probably. "So, this was pretty much all set up by Eris?" I asked.

Armani tilted his head around slightly to look at me. "I think so. I think she's been planning this one out for quite some time."

I nodded. "Right, so why am _I_ here then?"

He turned full about to look at me, and again I shrunk back. It was stupid, but that almost unnatural silvery gaze was just a bit too much like his mother's. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, I get why you two are here. This is something to do with you, so Eris put a Hunter with you too. So why do you think she picked me?"

His eyes narrowed as he seemed to mull it over. "I wouldn't worry about it."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Because it's Eris. It's pointless to try and figure her out. She could have a grand reason for putting you with us, and then again she could have just as easily picked your name out of a hat."

I nodded. That made sense, I suppose. She _was_ the goddess of chaos. "Right, just one more question, and it's one that I think had been overlooked a little too much."

"And what might that be?"

I narrowed my eyes ever so slightly at him. "Just what is the point of this quest? Who is this guy from Troizenos? And what does he have to do with, like, _anything_?"

He went silent for a moment, and I watched as a very strange expression washed over his face. His eyes seemed to flick side to side, and then he frowned. It almost looked like he was having a conversation with something that wasn't there. He scowled, as if whoever he was talking to had just said something irritating. It was seriously weird.

I waved a hand in front of his face. "Armani? Umm..."

He blinked and shook his head. "_Sorry_... Was just...debating an issue for a moment."

I leaned back and glanced around. "With who?"

He waved it off. "Just the voice in my head, I wouldn't worry about it."

I looked at him. It was really hard to tell whether this guy was joking or not. "Okay...Well, if you and your friends in there have an answer, I'd like to know before we reach the city."

He shook his head. "_Friend_, singular, there's only one of them."

It's odd how he said that as if it's supposed to be reassuring. "And?" I prodded.

He turned back forward again, and this time I could see he was just hesitating, but he did respond after a moment. "I think it's got something to do with my father."

I leaned forward again. Nico had told me the basic bullet points about Armani a while back. "Your dad? As in the guy who Midas killed when you were born?"

He nodded. "And Eris has laid out a trail of breadcrumbs for me to follow. And this whole quest has something to do with the day he was attacked and what happened afterwards."

I could hear the suppressed emotion in his voice. This whole thing was beyond personal to him. I nodded. "Right, so we find this Troizenos guy and that leads us to your dad?"

He cocked his head. "It's a start, and it's all I have to go on."

I looked at him without saying anything for a moment. I mean, what could I say? _Don't worry, Armani. I'm sure it'll be a cinch. At least the fate of the world isn't on the line this time_.

I may as well just come out and say 'what's the worst that could happen?'

"We'll find him." The voice was small, but held a strange sort of strength and determination. We both looked to Aren, who was still staring straight ahead.

Armani smiled weakly at her. "I wish I had your confidence." His voice seemed strained, weary almost.

She didn't reply. Instead she did something that I bet she didn't even realize was out of place for her.

She reached around... and then squeezed his shoulder, just once, her hand immediately drifting back to where it had been before as if the act had been nothing.

Armani seemed to give the smallest of intakes of breath, somewhere between a gasp and a happy sigh, and then he seemed to relax, a little bit of his tension seeming to evaporate.

"Armani?" I found myself asking on reflex.

_Don't ask it, Percy. It's just not worth the risk._

I decided it really wasn't a good idea to accuse both a Hunter and the son of Artemis of having a thing for each other. I figured they might react badly. (Zoë had this bad habit of wanting to turn me into a pincushion on a regular basis, and Zoë _liked_ me.) Even worse; what if Armani's _mom_ found out? _Her_ reaction I could kind of guess. River Styx or not, I really didn't want to risk finding out if I was immune to being turned into a jackalope.

I had chosen to clam up, but Armani was looking at me again. "What is it?"

I smiled somewhat stupidly and shook my head. "N-nothing, it's nothing. Just forget it."

He raised his eyebrows and shrugged a little. "If you say so..." and so he turned back again, looking deep in thought.

My eyes flicked between the pair of them. _Oh well,_I thought. _At least I'll have something to watch out for during this trip... I'm sure everything else will turn out fine. I mean, just how hard can a search for one guy we've__been practically aimed at__be__?_

_...oops_.

-Ω-

I'd decided to tell Percy and Aren about Eris' reason behind the quest, even if it _wasn't_ a sure thing. My instinct had made a point about how keeping my thoughts about such things to myself could be a bad thing. Plus they were my companions for a reason, and even _if_ what I had told Percy had just been my assumption, I felt both he and Aren deserved to know.

We emerged through the elevator doors on the six hundredth floor, Olympus sprawled out before us in its usual splendor.

Percy glanced around. "So where do you think we should start?"

"We need to find someone who knows the layout of Olympus," said Aren as she scanned the mountain.

I nodded. "I wonder if Athena's here. If anyone knows this place inside and out, it'll probably be her."

Aren shrugged. "I suppose we'd best try her workshop, then. If she's not around, we can at least see if she has any maps or blueprints lying about."

"Let's just hope she's not here, then," said Percy with a tired groan.

I glanced at him. "Problem?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing, let's just go."

Aren and I glanced at each other and then followed Percy, who stopped after a few more paces.

We halted behind him. "What is it now?" I sighed.

He coughed. "Umm, which...which _way_ is it?"

Aren rolled her eyes full circle and strode off ahead, with us trailing a few steps behind.

-Ω-

We finally reached Athena's workshop and slipped in behind Percy. For some reason the son of Poseidon was creeping with trepidation. His nervousness was infectious, and Aren and I found ourselves following his lead, tossing nervous glances over our shoulders without quite knowing why.

He took a step into the main area, a long room with a table running down the centre. On its surface were numerous drawing boards with diagrams and blueprints secured to them, some illuminated by desk lamps. A chessboard sat on a small table by the door, and an electronic whiteboard dominated one entire wall of the room. The other wall had numerous maps tacked to it, with the occasional antique blade on display between them.

As it is with gods and their residences, it was all _very_ Athena.

Percy glanced through the doorway and waved a hand forward, whispering, "It's okay. It doesn't look like she's here."

"Like _who's_here?" Three yelps of shock were emitted as a stern female voice sounded from right behind us.

We leaped about. Percy's hand flew to his chest, probably trying to stop his heart from leaving its current position in his ribcage. He paled noticeably as he sighted Athena, who had appeared in the entryway behind us, a document tube under one arm and her eyes burning straight into Percy.

"H-hi, Athena," he said, his voice squeaking slightly. "Fancy meeting you here."

I felt the strangest urge to smack him on the back of the head.

She raised a single eyebrow questioningly. "Well?"

I sighed. "We came to ask a favor, Lady Athena."

She turned her attention to me, eyes narrowing slightly as she regarded us. "Is that so? And why, may I ask, did it look like you were attempting to enter under less than scrupulous circumstances?"

I opened my mouth to explain, and suddenly realized I couldn't. I frowned, glancing at Aren, who shrugged. In time with each other, we both turned to look at Percy, who was looking very sheepish. "You want to explain _why_ we needed to sneak in?" I asked, "I mean, why didn't we just knock?"

Percy appeared to be looking for an excuse, but then his shoulders just sagged. "Let's just say she isn't exactly a big fan..."

I frowned at him and glanced back at Athena, who was regarding him with an icy expression. "I cannot help but be reminded of the time someone _else_ once sneaked into one of my domains for..._distasteful_reasons. What was his name again?" She asked with a sardonic note, tapping a fingernail on her chin as if pretending to have difficulty remembering.

"This is nothing like that!" Percy objected.

Athena's expression didn't soften. "Is that so? And why, exactly, are you here then, Percy Jackson?"

I felt it was time to intervene, but angry Athena was something I had never seen before, and I was wary of being caught up in her bad temper. I raised a hand nervously.

Her eyes flicked to me. The coldness of her gaze seemed to lighten ever so slightly, but she was still openly scowling. "_Yes?_"

"We...Sort of needed...A...a-"

"A what?" she sighed impatiently.

"A map of Olympus?" I replied uncertainly.

Confusion joined the irritation in her eyes. "Do I look like a tourist information booth to you?"

Aren spoke up now. "No, but you see, Lady Athena, we felt it was the sort of thing that only you might have."

She seemed to let her annoyance evaporate as intrigue and curiosity took over. "Indeed? And why might that be?"

"There was a prophecy," Percy said suddenly, "And we think the first place we need to visit is Olympus."

She regarded Percy with suspicion. "A prophecy? I was not aware there had been a new prophecy."

"That would be because it wasn't exactly what you'd call your normal prophecy," I said, bringing Athena's attention back to me again.

She regarded me analytically as she spoke. "I think you should explain the current situation to me."

It wasn't a request. And so I began, summing up as briefly and accurately as I could the events that had lead to us coming to Olympus.

Athena went silent, as if pondering the information in her head, although I suspected she had finished her analysis a nanosecond after I had finished my explanation. Still, she seemed to mull it over as she strolled past us into her workshop. "Fascinating... And so you believe the next objective in your quest lies in the mines below Olympus?"

I blinked in surprise. I hadn't explained our reasoning for coming to Olympus yet. Though in retrospect, it was hardly surprising that she worked it out, "Yes, Lady Athena. So can you help us?"

She shrugged. "Of course I _can_."

"_Will_you help us?" Aren corrected.

Athena strolled calmly over to a rack containing numerous rolled up documents and blueprints. Her hand began tracing along the wood, as if searching for the right one.

"_Please_, Lady Athena," I pushed, watching as the goddess stood, her hand hesitating over an empty spot on the rack.

She didn't look back as she spoke. "I have a very good idea as to what you are going to find down there, and also what your next destination shall be. I will grant you assistance on one condition."

"What is it?" Percy asked.

Athena turned about, drawing out a rolled-up sheet of paper from the seemingly empty compartment, but it was the look on her face that caught our attention and not the document. She had a different look on her face; not angry, curious or irritated like before. She just looked serious. _Deadly _serious. "The condition is that you each swear me an oath." Her voice was like steel, and I knew that no matter what she asked there would be absolutely zero room for maneuvering or negotiation.

I was silent for a moment, caught in her gaze. I nodded. "Alright then. So what is this oath?"

Her gaze remained unbroken as she spoke. "That when you get to where it is you are going you will touch nothing, interfere with nothing, and do as little as humanly possible other than collect the final object of your quest."

We exchanged curious glances. I regarded Athena. "But how will we know what the final object we're searching for _is_?"

"It is all spelled out in the prophecy, and if that is not enough then it is likely when you finally come across it you will know it upon sight. This is a non-negotiable factor. Swear upon the River Styx or I shall not give you the information you need to continue."

I frowned at her questioningly. I strongly suspected that like my mother, she knew a lot more about what was going on than she was willing to say.

I turned to look at Aren and Percy questioningly. Percy nodded once, Aren inclining her head likewise. I nodded in confirmation and turned back to the Battle goddess.

"On the River Styx...we swear it."

I flinched as a crackle of angry thunder sounded dangerously close overhead, shattering the atmosphere in the room.

Athena extended her index finger, the nail glistening like a blade. She ran it along the wax seal bearing her symbol that held the document closed, splitting it open like she had used a scalpel.

With a flick of her wrist she unrolled the document onto the table between us, revealing it to be comprised of two sheets of paper and not one. It uncoiled, revealing what seemed to be an overview of Olympus.

She inclined her head, "It's a little out of date, but it contains what you need." She pointed down at a square that bore the symbol of Hephaestus. "Hephaestus requires steady stream of celestial bronze for his... _machinations_. This is the closest of the entrances of the mines that should still be in use. Many of the others have been sealed off or are not as reliable. It should be your best chance."

I looked back up at the goddess. "I don't suppose you could let us know where we need to go once we get down there?"

She inclined her head and flipped the map to the next page, revealing what appeared to be a diagram of some kind of maze. What was interesting was that parts of the image seemed to be moving; lines were extending and connecting to others, forming new paths, whilst others vanished entirely. "As you can see, the mines are in constant flux. Without a map you could be lost down there for an eternity. Although I suppose what you will be searching for will be in this general area." She pointed a finger at somewhere near the centre, where I noticed the lines didn't seem to be changing that much, if at all. "This section lies directly under the Pantheon. I strongly suspect what you are looking for will be somewhere there. From there, you should know where to go for yourself."

I looked back up at her, "But how will we know what we're looking for down there?"

"You will know," she said surely as she reached down and appeared to tear a pink carbon copy of each sheet away from the back before rolling up the originals, which sealed themselves, and returned them to the rack. She handed the duplicates to me. "Now, off you go."

Deciding not to push our luck with her any further, we said our thanks and departed post-haste.

-Ω-

"So what's up with you and Athena?" I asked Percy as we walked through the gleaming marble streets of Olympus.

The son of Poseidon heaved a sigh. "Let's just say she doesn't...approve of me."

"_Approve_ of you?"

He gave a tiny shrug. "Me and Annabeth, that is."

An old story suddenly came to mind, and Athena's comment earlier suddenly came into context. "_Ah._Because of your dad, right?"

He nodded. "Seems that's one grudge she just can't get over."

I frowned. "She does _know_ that you're not your father, right?"

He rolled his eyes. "Tell that to Athena. Sins of the fathers and all that... at least that's how I figure it. She must see a lot of my dad in me."

I raised my eyebrows. "Oh, I dunno. I think your dad's an okay sort. Definitely one of my favorite gods. And I'm sure he's learned his lesson by now."

He smiled weakly. "Thanks, but once Athena has an opinion it's hard to change. Would you try and convince the goddess of wisdom she was dead wrong about something?"

I cocked my head, "Now that you mention it... I'd probably just let her have her opinion."

Percy nodded, "Yeah, that's how I figure it. Doesn't stop Annabeth from trying to change her mind every chance she gets."

Aren groaned, "Is that why you had us sneaking in there like that? Because of your _love_troubles?"

Percy looked mildly irritated. "Better to just sneak in and see if we could find the map before Athena got back than have her find out I was on the quest and not want to help just because of that."

Aren gave a tiny humph, "Still seems stupid to me."

Percy shot her a look. "What would you know about being in love with someone when a _goddess_ forbids it? Be glad you don't have any of those problems."

Aren didn't respond. She appeared to be trying to look somehow smaller than she already was.

"Or maybe you do." If I didn't know any better, I would swear he seemed to glance between us.

My eyes widened a tad, but I otherwise kept my facial expression under control. Aren scowled indignantly at him. "Meaning?"

Percy flinched suddenly, as if reconsidering something. His eyes suddenly went forward. "Nothing!" he said just a little bit too quickly.

I was glad he dropped the subject, and I glanced at Aren. Her expression had changed. She didn't look angry any more. I half-expected her to be blushing, but instead she just seemed glum and depressed.

_She's afraid. She's terrified of what will happen if anyone finds out._

_I could've figured that out myself, but what should I do about it?_

_Sorry, not my department._

_Thanks, instinct. As always, you've been a big help!_

_You're welcome._

Only then did I realize there was a hand waving up and down in front of my eyes. I blinked and shook my head. "I'm sorry, what?"

Percy frowned. "Anybody ever tell you that you space out way too often?"

I shook my head. "Happening a little too much lately, if you ask me, but it's nothing to worry about. What were you saying?"

"I was _saying_ that we're here. How were you even walking around when you were that out of it?"

I shook my head. "Let's just say I was on autopilot..."

_Did you_want_to walk into a wall? Just say the word and next time I'll let you._

_Don't be pedantic..._

_Do you even know what that means?_

_STOP TALKING!_

_Sorry..._

I took a calming breath. _Honestly_... you give an aspect of your personality control of your body on one occasion for thirty seconds and it starts talking like it owns the place.

I leaned into Aren whilst Percy studied the structure. "Do I really look all spaced out?"

"You sort of go all…" she waved a hand in front of her face as if trying to visualize it. "…_glazed over..._you stop blinking, too."

"Really?" I whispered.

She shrugged. "Kind of."

"_Ahem_," coughed Percy pointedly, causing us to bring our attention back to our surroundings with a visual flinch. "If you two are finished..." With that he walked ahead and into the building. It was a strange sight even from the outside, which was, like the others, polished marble. The inside, however, was a stark contrast. The walls were dark and stained with a millennium's worth of soot and oil residue.

As we made our way from the entryway into the main area we were hit by a wall of heat seemingly out of nowhere.

The room resembled Athena's workshop in a way, in that there was another long workbench. This one, however, was littered with various machines in differing stages of assembly or disassembly (I couldn't tell which) along with scatterings of tools.

The space around the table was wider where the god appeared to have different projects going on simultaneously. A motorcycle whose make I was unfamiliar with stood with its casing open. On the other side of the room was a bronze bull with a rectangular hatch open in its side, the innards ticking away like a strange clockwork toy. The back of the room was obviously the source of the heat: a large covered furnace burned with green flame. Tongs and other smith's tools were littered about it.

Aren surveyed the mess. "How does he even _find_ anything?"

I shrugged. "It's a guy thing. We like our mess where it is."

"Couldn't have said it better myself!" a deep voice boomed suddenly. The call echoed about the room. Each of us were instinctively going for our weapons when, from a dark stairwell I hadn't seen that appeared to lead into a black void below, a figure half-limped up.

"Hephaestus," Percy said immediately as the bearded man strolled in, dragging his lame leg along behind him whilst wiping his grimy hands on an oil-soaked rag. The action must've been out of habit rather than any actual attempt to clean his hands, as he seemed to just make them even dirtier.

He flicked the rag over his shoulder. It struck the outside of the furnace and burst into flames before shriveling into nothing.

He strolled over to the bench and leaned against it. "The old dragon sneaked some of her blasted minions in once to 'clean up'. Took me damned near five hundred years to get everything back the way I wanted."

"A dragon?" Aren frowned.

"I believe he's referring to Aphrodite," I said, regarding the god, who merely grunted in acknowledgement.

"But isn't it a little...grimy?" asked Aren carefully.

He scoffed loudly in response. "That's half the point! A man needs his space."

I nodded. "And I'm guessing Aphrodite wouldn't add coming in here to the top of her list of things she'd like to do."

The god nodded as he pushed himself up and went to grab a screwdriver off the table. He moved to the side of the room and began leaning into the bull's open compartment, "So what brings you here?" he asked, his voice muffled slightly by the machine.

"We were, ahh, wondering if you could let us get down into the mines." I looked at the stairwell in the back of the room. "Does that lead down into them?"

He grunted again. "The mines? Why in Hades would you want to go down there? There are scraps of celestial bronze all over the place, take some if you need it, save me tossing it out."

I shook my head. "No, sir, that's not why we need to go down."

He pulled his head out of the automaton and slammed the compartment shut with his elbow. The bull groaned loudly with the sound of protesting gears. The god scowled at the machine and elbowed it once more. The noise immediately turned into a smooth mechanical drone as the bull stood up the full height. The god touched it once and it appeared to shut itself down. He then turned to regard us. "Then why?"

We glanced at each other. "That's just it, Lord Hephaestus," I said. "We don't _exactly_ know. All we know is that there's something down there that has to do with our quest."

The god turned and dropped uncomfortably down onto an old three legged stool, again wiping his hands with a rag that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. "Quest? Hmm, haven't heard anything on the grapevine about a quest..."

"Yes, that's going around," I said quickly, "but Athena said this was the best place to enter the mines from."

"That a map?" he asked, nodding at the sheet in my hand.

I suspected the question was entirely rhetorical, but I unfolded it out on the table in front of him anyway.

His eyes flicked over the ever-changing map of the mines. He nodded once appreciatively. "Very accurate. Ah, Athena, now there's a woman after my own heart. Shame about the whole eternal maiden bit." I saw Aren's brow twitch out of my peripheral vision, but she otherwise made no objection. Hephaestus glanced at the two sheets of the map. "But you can't enter from here."

"B-but why?" Percy asked with a confused frown on his face.

Hephaestus rolled his eyes and stabbed a finger down on the map, leaving a large oily smudge on the place he had indicated. "Athena's right to send you here. It's the most stable entrance to the mines, but where the entrance leads to is constantly changing. Many of the entrances are."

I looked at the smudge on the map. "I take it that's where it leads to at the moment," I said glumly, noticing the criss-crossing snakes of lines on that point the god had indicated.

He nodded. "The mine keeps changing. The entryway leads into a solid wall right now, it was closing behind me when I came up. Had to go down and tell the workers in that section to take five."

"So is there no way down there?" asked Aren.

He shrugged. "Of course there is. There are entrances all over Olympus. You just need to know where they are."

I looked at the map of the mines. "Do you know them? Do you know which one we should use?"

He glanced at the map. "Western sections look mostly open. Find one of the fixed entrances on the western side of Olympus and you might be in with a shot."

"Western side..." mumbled Aren in thought as she stared into the distance.

"Pardon?" I asked, flicking my attention to her.

Her eyes suddenly brightened and turned to me. "I have an idea!" she said, grabbing my hand and dragging me off behind her excitedly.

"W-what? What is it?"

"I'll show you, come on!"

I looked back at Percy with bewilderment as she pulled me away. We both shrugged, Percy nodding farewell to the god and chasing behind me.

-Ω-

Whatever idea Aren had, she must have been sure about it because she was running at top speed, seeming only slightly encumbered by pulling me behind her, with Percy even further behind and seriously struggling to keep pace with the Hunter.

"You can let go of- _cripes!_" I gasped as she swung round a bend, apparently forgetting I was still there and forcing me to springboard of a column to prevent myself slamming into a wall.

She skidded and continued running, coming to a stop in front of a darkened temple. The writing above it immediately identified it as one of my mother's. Percy came to a halt next to us a moment later, his hands on his knees as he gasped for breath.

"Okay...Where's the fire?"

"Right here," said Aren, nodding ahead and walking slowly inside.

It was seriously dark in there, the sun from the entryway throwing a single beam of light, barely illuminating the marble structure.

I would've loved to put more focus on my surroundings, but there was a certain something currently distracting my attention, and that thing was the strange way Aren's thumb seemed to be rubbing unconsciously up and down over the back of my hand.

I just hoped she'd let go before-

"Ahem!" Percy coughed again, causing Aren to blink and regard him questioningly.

He simply nodded down between us, Aren's stare slowly shifting down to where her hand was still connected to mine.

She flinched away as if electrocuted, tearing her arm away as if my hand were on fire.

Percy's eyes moved back up to mine. There was a sort of exasperated suspicion in them, but I was hardly in the mood to discuss the issue. And so I picked the best option I had at hand:

Feign ignorance and outright social blindness.

_What do you mean 'feign'?_

I glanced between them. "Is something the matter?"

Aren shoved her hands quickly in the pockets of her jeans. "N-nothing! Nothing's wrong." She suddenly glared at Percy. "_Is there_, Percy?" Her tone was warning, and her green eyes seemed to blaze like Greek fire, as if daring him to contradict her.

Percy's face seemed to pale somewhat in the dim light, and if I didn't know better I could've sworn he swallowed a gulp. "_Nope_...not a thing …So," he said, glancing around, "Is there a reason why we just sprinted here like they were giving away free t-shirts for thirty seconds only?"

A tiny hint of gratitude seemed to flash over Aren's face when Percy brought us back on topic. She nodded. "Right. It was just, I remembered something suddenly."

"What is it? Is there something here?" I asked.

She nodded. "I remembered that there used to be an old trapdoor in the back of this place. We, that is, the attendant, used to just use it for dumping trash down, but once when it was open, a long time ago, I remember hearing noises coming from below, sounds of rock on rock... deep in the darkness."

We both caught on immediately. "And you think that maybe it's another entrance into the mines?"

She nodded. "The reason Athena had us go to Hephaestus' temple was because the entrance there was the most undisturbed and best preserved."

Percy glanced around. "No offence to Artemis or anything, but this place doesn't look too well preserved. How can you be sure the entrance is still there?" he said this as he ran a hand along a mural on the wall, lifting away a thick film of dust under his fingers and revealing the bright paint below.

Aren turned solemn, as her eyes fell. "Because no one's been here for almost two decades now. No one comes in here." Her teeth gritted. "Except for that _boy,_ of course..."

I regarded our surroundings. The dark main area had a very sad aura to it, like a place frozen in time. The hearth was cold, an ages-dead fire in the bottom.

The altar at the back of the room was bare, a toppled-over bronze vase that held a few withered flowers its only decoration.

I drifted slowly towards the stone structure. My hand ran over its surface and I reflexively went to straighten the vase.

"Don't_._" Aren's voice quiet, but firm. I looked back at her curiously. She seemed to read my expression and then elaborated. "It was an order by Lady Artemis. Leave everything as it is...until the attendant returns."

I frowned. "The attendant?"

She nodded. "The attendant was a…" she paused, as if reconsidering her next words. "A _friend_...who vanished." She nodded at the altar, or to be more accurate, at the note that sat there. "That's all that's left."

I reached for the note, then glanced questioningly at Aren. She nodded and I picked up the piece of yellowed paper, flicking it once and causing a small cloud of dust to come up from the surface.

"_H_?" I mused, Percy leaning over to glance at the hastily written note.

Percy read it once. "Reads like this 'H' just stepped out for lunch...Not surprised though." He smiled slightly. "Zoë _did_ love her hair."

Aren's eyes clouded in thought. "It's strange...it almost seems as if Lady Artemis never doubted they would return."

Percy glanced at Aren. "Artemis liked this H person?"

She laughed without much humor. "Old H was...someone Artemis was always fond of, despite..." again she trailed off into silence.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Despite what?"

Her eyes cleared and she shook her head. "It's nothing...Places like this, they bring up old memories. Sometimes I prefer parts of my past to remain forgotten."

She went oddly still for a second and Percy inclined his head at her, prompting me.

I reached carefully over and touched her shoulder. "Aren?"

She flinched a little too harshly, her eyes wild for a moment. "W-what?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "_Now_ who's spacing out?"

She shook her head again, running a hand through her short hair as if to clear her mind. "Sorry...Let's carry on."

I put the note down and looked into the back. "Through there, is it?"

She nodded and followed behind as I walked behind the altar and through an archway covered by a dusty black curtain.

Aren slid the curtain back with Percy at her side. There was a small antechamber at the back. On the wall was a rail with several Hunter's bags; a shelf above held some unused quivers and knives, along with several plates and goblets.

The floor, however, was dominated by a large trapdoor made of aged wood with a single rusted rung as a handle.

I crouched down and grabbed the ring. Bracing my legs, I stood back up, dragging open the door. The hinges screeched their protest at their lack of oil over the years.

I flipped the heavy door back and stood up. A cold blast of air seemed to suck downwards into the square hole.

Percy and Aren crouched down beside me. The gap was strange. Normally one could see some way down into even the darkest pit, but this was different. It was as if the hole were swallowing the light entirely, creating a perfect square of black in the floor as a veil over whatever was underneath. Indeed, if it weren't for the air current I could've easily mistaken it for being painted onto the stone under the door.

"So what do you think?" I mumbled, eyeing the foreboding darkness.

Percy stood up and grabbed one of the goblets, crouching back down again. He held it out over the hole and glanced at us.

We both inclined our heads in agreement and he let it drop into the void.

It was swallowed up immediately; however, there was a _clank_ of it striking something hard a second later.

Percy nodded. "Definitely a gap down there. This entrance must be fixed."

I agreed with the theory as Aren stood up. "I'll go first." she said, preparing to jump.

Percy put a hand in the way to stop her. "No, I'll go." He caught Aren's eyes narrowing at him. He smiled apologetically in response. "You two may be immortal, but I'm the indestructible one here. Wish me luck!" he said and, without another word, dropped down into the hole.

There was a sound of something scuffing against rock, followed by an "AARGH!"

"Percy!" I shouted, leaning over the gap.

"Are you okay?" called Aren as she looked over too, scanning the darkness as if we could both actually see something.

There was a pained groan from the darkness. "Owww...I landed on my keys!"

We sighed in both relief and exasperation. "I thought you were invincible," said Aren irritably into the dark void.

"I can still feel _pain_," moaned the voice. I could hear the sound of Percy standing up and dusting himself down.

"What do you see?" I asked.

Percy responded, "Come see for yourself. There's plenty of room down here. It's...kind of hard to describe."

Aren and I glanced at each other and shrugged. I chose to climb down and hang into the darkness as opposed to just jumping down like Percy had.

I let go and dropped down. I fought for balance as I landed on the greasy rock situated right beneath the hole.

"Clear," I called up, and Aren dropped down a second later. I grabbed her by the shoulders as she almost slipped backwards on the same rock.

"Thanks," she said, patting herself down.

I looked up to examine our surroundings. There was no light. It was like there was a film of black that separated wherever it was from the world above.

And Percy wasn't kidding when he said you had to see the place for yourself.

It wasn't dark, like I had assumed it would be. It appeared to be just like any ordinary mine. There were tracks on the ground for carts, with the strange exception that some of the tracks seemed to branch off into solid rock.

The rock itself seemed to be the source of the dim light. It was grey in color with a slight sheen.

I rubbed a hand down it and regarded the residue, "Phosphorescence... guess that explains how we can see in here," I mumbled. Looking closer, I saw the veins of gold-coloured ore running through the rock. These contributed to the strange light, casting a slight yellow hue through the mine.

Percy picked up a discarded rock, a thick vein of metal running through it. "Looks like this is the place."

I nodded. "Celestial bronze must run through every bit of rock in the mountain. Come on, let's get going. You have the map, Percy?"

He nodded and unfurled it, flipping to the map of the mines. "Looks like we're here, _aaannd..._" He followed the trail of maze-like zigzagging paths for a bit and stood up. "..._this way. _Come on."

We followed behind Percy as he led the way through the corridors. It was slow going; he'd occasionally have to backtrack and choose another path as the way ahead constantly changed.

"I really don't like mazes..." mumbled the son of Poseidon as the paths on the map changed again. Suddenly his eyes widened at something beyond us. "Wow, check it out..." He walked past us.

We about-faced and followed him up to what appeared to be half-closed passageway end, but it was clear almost instantly what had caught his attention:

The rock was _growing_. We watched as veins of celestial bronze seemed to bleed into the dark air with the rock surrounding them like skin. We had to back up as the wall seemed to suddenly decide to grow downwards in the tunnel we were in.

Aren ran a hand over the rock that had closed up the entire tunnel. "Guess that explains why they haven't mined Olympus hollow after all these years; it simply grows back."

Percy tapped the now solid wall. "It's like the entire mountain's a living thing."

"Where now?" I asked and Percy glanced at the map, which was partially scrunched up in his fist.

He nodded down the passage. "This way...at least for now, anyway."

-Ω-

"Are you sure he's taking us the right way?" Aren whispered in my ear as we followed Percy for what seemed like another hour.

I shrugged. "He's following the map, and Hephaestus _did_say the west side was our best bet, I just hope – Against the wall!" I snapped suddenly, dragging Aren against the rock, then reaching ahead and dragging an objecting Percy back by his shoulder.

"What's the deal?" he demanded as I pressed us flat against the rock.

I sniffed the air. "Something's coming. I could only hear it before, but now I can smell it too, and it's not a scent I recognize."

Percy sniffed loudly. "I don't smell anything...except...is that apple shampoo?"

"_Quiet!"_ I hissed as a squeaking noise became audible down the mine.

A second later a shadow stretched across an intersection further down the tunnel.

We kept still and silent as a rusted mining cart loaded up with ore was pushed across the intersection.

It was the one pushing it that was of course the issue. He (or she... I couldn't really tell) was about seven feet tall and was dressed in nothing more than a tattered pair of brown shorts with very pale skin.

I caught a side-profile of his face and it immediately became clear what it was.

_Cyclops?_

Percy must've seen this too, as for some reason he slipped free and sighed, "It's all right. I think I've got this one." I hissed a warning but Percy had already raised a hand in greeting. "Hey!"

The Cyclops froze like a statue, his hand sliding out of sight down the side of the cart.

"What are you _doing_?" Aren demanded in an angry whisper.

Percy nodded down the tunnel. "Trust me. I'm good with Cyclopes. My brother's one, you know?"

"Doesn't shock me..." muttered the Huntress as Percy carelessly approached and then halted about half-way towards the white Cyclops.

"Hey there. We were wondering if you could help us out. We're sort of-" He was cut off as the Cyclops let out a deafening roar and swung his body about, releasing a huge pickaxe he must've had stashed in the cart into a perfect throw directly at Percy.

"Look out!" Aren barked as the tool whistled through the air with all the practiced grace of a shuriken thrown by a ninja.

Percy simply planted his foot in the ground and the axe rebounded harmlessly off his chest.

The Cyclops seemed to do a double-take, glancing at his axe and back at Percy as if trying to work out why it wasn't currently pinning him to the wall.

"Hello?" Percy snapped angrily. "Son of Poseidon, here! Aren't you here working for my-"

If the Cyclops was listening to his plea he didn't show it, as he cut Percy off with a bellow of, "Bronze thieves! Hephaestus say we smash thieves off rocks!"

"I don't think this one's working for your dad, Percy," I warned.

"Hephaestus said we could come down here, though!" Aren objected.

He narrowed his one eye at her. "Small girl...You break easily. Steve break you! Then, if really _should_ be here, Steve apologize."

Aren glared angrily. "And how are you supposed to apologize if – wait..._Steve_? Your name is _Steve_?"

"I am Steve! Mightiest of the Miners of Hephaestus!" bellowed Steve proudly, thumping himself on the chest.

I just gaped at him. "Steve the Cyclops?"

_Don't laugh. You'll only make things worse._

Percy smiled calmly. "Come on, Steve. Why so angry?"

The Cyclops growled. "Hephaestus make Steve work overtime. Tunnel closing stopped Cyclops from mining. Hephaestus make Steve work it back."

"That's totally unfair," said Percy agreeably.

"STEVE KNOW THIS!" the Cyclops roared angrily. "Steve squish you and then Hephaestus let Steve leave early!"

It was true that we could easily overpower the Cyclops. Two Hunters and one invulnerable child of the big three were more than enough, but it was always better to avoid slaughtering if it's avoidable.

"Wait!" I shouted.

Steve's eye turned irritably to me. "What other small girl want?"

"Okay, gonna ignore that one for now, but seriously, what if Hephaestus _did_ let us come down here?"

"Steve already say-"

I raised a hand and cut him off. "And you _did_kill us? Hephaestus wouldn't be happy that you killed his guests, now would he?"

Steve went silent, as if pondering the problem.

I continued. "_No_, he wouldn't. And then what would happen? Double overtime, that's what...With no pay!"

Steve did not like this prospect one bit and suddenly seemed extremely worried.

Percy cut in. "And he'd revoke your TV privileges, too!"

Steve let out an odd squeak of fright, and then roared so loud it seemed to shake the tunnel. "STEVE WILL MISS HIS SOAPS!"

I blinked and glanced at Percy and back. "Yes...yes you will."

The cogs seemed to visibly turn in the Cyclops' huge head. After a moment, he chose to speak. "Steve will let you live... But you'll get squished if you try to steal bronze!"

I inclined my head cordially. "Thank you. And we have no interest in stealing anything. We _could,_however, use some help."

Steve cocked his head, "Help?"

I nodded and pointed to the central point on the map we were trying to get to. "Can you tell us how to get here? It's kind of hard when the walls keep changing."

Steve nodded. "Yes, Steve knows the way."

"You do? I mean, you know how to actually navigate down here?"

He let out a laugh, a deep gravelly sound. "Mine Cyclopes can feel the rocks and how they move. Mine Cyclopes are strongest of Cyclopes, can smash boulders with bare hands."

Percy nodded. "And I bet you're the strongest of them all, right, Steve?"

"Steve is strongest!" he bellowed proudly in response. "Follow!" he shouted and beckoned us after him.

We fell into step behind the Cyclops and I leaned into Percy's ear, "You seemed to know how to push his buttons pretty well."

He shrugged. "They may be big, but not all of them are bad. I could tell this guy wasn't like some of the worse I've met." He frowned suddenly as he regarded the Cyclops from behind. "I didn't know any worked in mines though. As far as I knew, the only Cyclopes in service to the gods are the ones working for my Dad. I've never seen one like this before..."

"What do you mean?" Aren asked, still regarding our guide with a note of suspicion.

"It's his skin. I've never seen a Cyclops with pure white skin before. And did you see his eye?" Percy asked, still in a whisper.

I nodded. "It was pink. Must be due to centuries of working in the mines. They probably never leave this place."

"An albino Cyclops?" asked Aren quietly. Luckily, Steve wasn't paying too much attention; he was humming what appeared to be a soap theme tune as he navigated ahead effortlessly.

I shrugged. "Not the strangest thing I've seen in my life."

Steve was obviously very adept at making his way through the mines. He'd have to change course once or twice, although we never seemed to run into a dead end. In fact at one point we found ourselves strolling straight towards solid wall, which exploded into fragments as a pale fist punched through it from the other side, gathering the rocks up out of our path. Steve didn't miss a step, merely grunting a greeting to his comrade as we passed. We weaved about the other Cyclops as he eyed us with suspicion. We gave him a wide birth.

It wasn't long before we turned into another tunnel. It was oddly long and straight in comparison to the others we had been in.

Steve stopped very abruptly.

None of us knew where we were; the Cyclops had taken so many turns and bends that we'd lost track on the map and just had to assume the Cyclops knew where we were going.

"What's up, Steve?" asked Percy. He leaned around to look at the Cyclops, who was eyeing the seemingly empty path ahead with caution.

"Steve can go no further," he said simply but with a note of sheer certainty.

"But what if we get lost again?" asked Percy.

Steve didn't even look back as he whipped the map out of Percy's hand and pointed to a spot near the centre. Sure enough, there was a long, straight path leading into an oddly open circular area on the map with only a few adjoining paths leading off it. "Here."

"What's up ahead?" I asked, looking down the almost ominous circle at the end.

Our guide merely shook his head. "Steve doesn't know. But ahead is forbidden. Hephaestus say no Cyclopes to go down there. Is not a good idea to question the boss."

It was a fair point. "But what if it starts changing again?" I asked.

Again he shook his head. "Passages not change in this place. Everything is still here. Has been still for many months. Hephaestus ban Cyclops' coming here after war with Titans." He seemed almost apologetic as he turned about. "Be careful not to get squished, guests of Hephaestus."

Percy patted him once on his broad shoulder as he passed and the Cyclops disappeared back the way he had come.

-Ω-

We all turned in time to face the path ahead in silence. The luminescence seemed a bit brighter here, and there seemed to be a dim glow coming up from ahead.

It was strange how we all seemed to have the same sense of caution. Just as I slid my sword free I heard the swish of Riptide being released and the unmistakable sound of Aren drawing her daggers.

"Well," I said, nodding ahead, "here goes..."

We advanced ahead slowly. The sound of the mines seemed to have completely vanished, engulfing us all in a strange, gaunt quiet.

"Anyone else getting an extremely bad..." Percy's voice trailed off, only to continue a few seconds later, "...feeling about...this?" I glanced back in confusion, wondering why Percy's voice had suddenly switched to a very strange baritone.

It took a second to realize he was also now walking at about half the speed of Aren and I.

Aren frowned. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"With _me_?" he asked in that same voice. "_You're_ the one doing the chipmunk impression."

_Oh no..._

"Back up," I said quickly, grabbing Aren by the shoulder and pulling her back to Percy with me. Percy had stopped walking and was looking at me in confusion. "Percy?"

"What?" He asked, his voice normal again. "What's wrong?"

Aren and I exchanged a glance and I turned my eyes ahead, "Let me try something." I muttered, handing Percy my sword.

I stood clear and held my arm out. There was a silver glow, and with a flash I held my bow. I pulled the string back, an arrow materializing in my hand.

"What are you up to?" asked Percy, glancing down the tunnel to where I was aiming.

"Just testing a theory..." I said and loosed the arrow. An instant later it suddenly looked like we'd been pulled into a scene from the Matrix. A few feet after being released the arrow slowed down in mid-air, the distortion it made as it spun and cut through its path clearly visible. After a few feet of this it sped up again, slowed slightly, and then when it reached a point further down the passage it seemed to come to a virtual standstill mid-flight.

"What in Hades?" I mumbled, observing the static arrow in the distance.

"I've seen something like this before," Percy suddenly said, his voice low and serious.

I looked at him. "Where?"

He nodded ahead. "When I fought Kronos. He had the ability to slow time around him."

I suddenly felt very nervous. "Well, at least we know we're on the right track."

"Something's wrong, though," said Percy in a thoughtful tone. "It wasn't all fast and slow like this when I fought Kronos. Back then you could _feel_that time was slowed around you, it was like trying to run through molasses, but _this_..."

I nodded. "It's like time is fractured. Judging by what we just saw, there are random bubbles of time distortions all the way down here. We're standing in one right now, actually."

Aren blinked. "But we're fine."

I shook my head. "It's like Percy said; it's different. It looks like there are isolated pockets of time where things are moving at a different speed. We can't tell there's a difference because we're all standing in it together. Outside of the bubble time is actually moving at a faster speed."

"Any ideas?" asked Percy.

I nodded. "Just one. Come on, stay together." I dismissed my bow and took back my sword. I gripped it by the bottom of the hilt and swung it ahead slowly in an arc. After a couple of steps the feeling changed, it suddenly felt like I was swinging the tip through a space with much less resistance. I nodded. "Right, here goes..." I took a step forward into the area ahead and stopped. I raised my hand to halt the others and they complied immediately, freezing solid.

I swung my sword carefully towards them and it suddenly felt like I was trying to swing it against a very strong air current.

I backed up and signaled them closer. They approached with unnatural slowness for a second then seemed to suddenly return to normal.

Aren nodded. "I see. Wait, I think I've got a better idea." We watched as she crouched down and gripped a handful of the silvery-grey soil that coated the floor of the mine.

She took a step ahead and hurled the handful of dust into the air in front of her.

The sparkling dust created an amazing picture as the particles struck the slowed-down areas, the flecks slowing down enough to show the outline of the fractured time ahead.

"Clever," Percy said approvingly as he immediately bent down and hurled another handful into the air ahead, restarting the effect and marking a safe path ahead.

We repeated this process, weaving carefully down the passageway. Some of the disturbed areas appeared as almost strangely perfect blobs and ovals; others looked like jagged scars and required careful maneuvering to avoid.

By the time we reached the place where my arrow was still suspended, the dust we cast was sticking to the pockets and holding almost solid, like it had hit a solid wall.

"Careful," I mumbled, "I'm not entirely sure what will happen if we step into one where time seems to be at a total standstill, but I doubt it would be a very positive thing. If a part of you gets stuck in there it may take a very long time for it to come out again unless we all go in with it."

Aren nodded. "And we don't know how fast the world will move on without us in the short time it would take to come out again."

Percy inclined his head as he weaved around a spike. "In for a second and come out to find a hundred years have passed...nasty."

"Right," I said, carefully blowing another cloud of dust into our path. "So unless you want to find out if mankind ever will have flying cars or are curious how many grand-kids your friends will have before they die, then I suggest you all be very careful for this next bit."

"Oh, _perfect_." Percy sighed as he cast the last cloud of dust we needed to see the end of the passage.

A very complex star-shaped formation was blocking the end. Aren added some more dust to it and revealed how branched out it was, numerous spikes and thread-like tendrils spread out across our path.

I could see Aren's eyes tracing out the shape, marking out a path through it in her head. "Okay," she said, "Shouldn't be too tough." She didn't wait for a response before stepping quickly forward, jumping into a handstand and flipping over two of the tendrils. She landed on both hands and sprung straight into a back-flip through the gaps in the remainder before landing safely on the other side.

"…Nimble…" said Percy, gaping openly. "...Isn't she?"

I just nodded. The only coherent thought able to form in my head was,

_Why is it that Hunters seem to be built to be diamond thieves?_

"Right... " I said, taking a breath and focusing on remembering each and every move Aren had made, cataloguing each twist and contour her body made as she-

_She really is very-_

_FOCUS!_

…_Sorry…_

-as she moved. I exhaled the breath, closing my eyes, and then I moved. I didn't think, didn't hesitate, I simply ran the movements like a program for moving my body, an exact mirror of Aren's with appropriate adjustments made for size difference. Turn for turn, twist for twist, angle for angle...

I didn't open my eyes again until I felt my feet touch firmly down on solid ground.

Aren nodded once at me and we turned back to Percy. "Right, come on."

His eyes turned oddly disbelieving. "_Come on?_ Do I look like Spider-man to you? _Honestly..._" He grumbled, carefully leaning in and sliding between the first of the spikes and tendrils. "_Come on,_ he says, like I'm some kind of..."

Five minutes and lots of disgruntled mumbling later, Percy stood with Aren and I on the other side of the structure at the end of the passageway.

"Check it out..." Percy said as he noticed some of the dust clinging in the air still, leading off from the mass we had just passed.

He tossed a small amount up and it revealed a thread linked to the distortion leading off into the eerie light up ahead.

"Do we follow it?" asked Aren.

I nodded, "It would appear we don't have much choice. Let's go..."

The path forked ahead in three direction, two passages leading off left and right. They would apparently circle back around the central area, according to the map.

We stayed following the middle path and the thread in the air until we broke free into a large cavern.

And therein was the source of the glow...

"Wow," breathed Percy as we looked out into the circular cavern. One more scattering of dust revealed that the thread carried on into the centre of the room and then expanded outwards, and from there we needed no assistance to see its influence.

"I think we just found the source of all those distortions," said Aren as we regarded the sight before us.

The paths into the cavern merged into a ledge that circled the upper part of the room. The central path we had entered through extended out over the room below. The curved path around the room became a ramp that lead down onto the main floor of the cave.

From where the thread expanded along the length of the central ledge that stuck out it widened into a visible blur, becoming a swaying flow of distorted light that seemed to pour out like a river over the sides of the ledge on either side like a strange, eerie waterfall.

We circled around the upper level and moved slowly down the ramp.

From there we had to be seriously careful.

There was a single, very thin path going across the middle of the room. Apart from that, there was no floor. There was simply..._nothing_. A sheer drop that seemed to go on so incomprehensibly far that it made me woozy just looking upon it.

"I think we just found our void," said Percy as we stood at the bottom of the ramp.

I nodded. "It would certainly seem that way."

Aren however was looking out across the path, which lead to a circular platform of rock in the middle of the room: the ledge with the strange waterfall of light directly over it.

Her disbelieving green eyes seemed hypnotized, and I immediately saw why.

Whatever resemblance the distortion had to a waterfall immediately ended when you saw it from below.

The light was swirling, spinning into a cyclone, funneling down onto one point like a translucent tornado. And there, at the base of the almost perfect cone-shaped swirl, was a single point of light.

No, that wasn't right.

Something was reflecting the light, something glistening in the dark.

In the middle of the platform was a rough stalagmite of rock that had had its tip shattered off, forming something like a podium. And resting in its centre something was sparkling.

From this distance its sheen seemed almost identical to that which came from the veins of celestial bronze in the main mine area, but as I leaned sideways it changed somewhat and became almost silvery.

I beckoned the others to follow as I found myself carefully edging along the thin path to the platform in the middle of the room, drawn in by that strange sparkle.

We gathered on the platform around the podium, ignoring the dominating swirl of time that churned above us just feet from our faces, our attention focused on what lay before us. I could tell that every thread in all our bodies knew that this is what we had come here for.

It was a metal shard.

It had an odd bronze sheen down one size and seemed to be polished steel on the other.

"What do you think?" I said, finding my voice after a moment, glancing at my two companions. Aren was regarding it thoughtfully, but Percy…his eyes were burning into it, looking as though he were trying very hard not to grab it and cast it into the void around us.

"Percy?" I asked. Getting no response, I nudged his arm gently. "Percy, what is it?"

His stormy eyes didn't budge from the shard as he spoke. Even his breathing seemed angry, a sound like that of a stormy sea in a shell. "_What is it_?_"_he echoed almost angrily. "I've seen that thing before... and it suddenly makes a lot of the prophecy very, very clear. As a sword we called it Backbiter, I always thought it was an appropriate name...but that isn't what it was really called, what it _really was_."

I glanced at the piece of metal and back. "Well?"

His eyes narrowed. "Kronos' scythe. That _thing_ is a piece of Kronos' scythe."

"The Legacy of Kronos..." I echoed numbly, looking up at the funneling distortion above.

"_Time..._" Aren breathed. "It's time…Pure, wild time."

I nodded slowly. "Percy destroyed Kronos' consciousness. So time goes on, with no mind controlling it or influencing it."

Percy nodded distastefully at the shard. "Except that piece there is part of his scythe, a part of his power."

"Could he manipulate time with it?" Aren asked.

Percy nodded. "He could manage pretty well without it, but I think the scythe focused his powers, and even in a demigod's body it was pretty intense."

I regarded the vortex above us. "And here it is...In its pure form, wild and distorting and at full power with no one to control it... The unclaimed power of time, all focused through this one small fragment."

"But how did it get here?" asked Aren.

Percy shrugged. "The scythe was destroyed. I suppose when all the pieces were cast away, one must've landed down here."

I agreed. "Hephaestus must've known about it. Better to simply ban people coming here than risk tampering with what was left of Kronos. Especially after going so far to finally get rid of him."

Aren edged closer, still not daring to touch the fragment. "Well, now that we're here, what do we do with it?"

Percy took a deep breath and reached his hand out slowly. Aren's hand shot out to stop him, but his fingers had already brushed against the base of the shard, avoiding contact with the tip where the swirl of time seemed to pour into it.

There was a strange _ding_ as he pulled it free of where it was embedded.

All of us froze in anticipation, and suddenly the swirl above seemed to become undone, as if it were unraveling itself upwards. The effect carried on until the water seemed to flow backwards and up.

I let out a breath I was unaware I had been holding and Percy's shoulders sagged in relief as he held the piece of the scythe between his thumb and forefinger. "I guess that takes care of those time pockets at least," he said, cocking his head as he regarded the piece of metal.

"That was foolish," chided Aren, scowling at Percy. "You don't know what could've happened when you touched that thing. You could've killed yourself!"

A tiny smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Worried about me, were you?" he asked teasingly, twirling the shard about in his hand playfully.

Aren just scoffed and didn't bother to dignify him with a response.

I sighed tiredly. "Well, now that we've got it, what do you suppose we do with it?"

The levity from Percy's face had vanished again and his eyes turned dark. "It needs blood..." I caught the barest hint of bared teeth. "It's _always_ blood."

Aren nodded. "I remember some stories the others used to tell about Kronos. His scythe needed to be sanctified with blood."

Percy nodded. "It needed a blood sacrifice, it's like it _feeds_ on it."

"The blood of the lost..." I said with a sigh. "It really _does_ fit neatly."

Aren took the shard from Percy. "I'll do it."

"No." I said, gently grabbing her wrist. "It has to be me."

Aren's eyes widened "But-"

"-The blood of the lost. It finally makes sense. If Eris did something with my father, if she _hid him_ somewhere...what if she did it when Kronos was still in the pit, when his power was still up for the taking, still wild?"

"Like... she somehow sent your dad through _time_ or something?" asked Percy.

I nodded. "His blood to my blood, it's the link that binds us together. And the scythe's power can sever the veil between us."

"But you can't be _sure,_" whispered Aren urgently as I slipped the fragment free of her hand and into mine.

I smiled weakly at her, "No...but right now my hunch is the best we have." Holding her eyes with mine, I sliced the blade quickly over my lower arm.

Her eyes seemed to widen in time with mine and suddenly I felt a horrible cry of pain tear from my throat.

My legs gave way and I doubled backwards into her arms as I clasped my own arm in agony. Pain coursed up from the wound. It wasn't burning; it was cold, _so_cold. Like someone had injected liquid nitrogen into my bloodstream.

"Armani!" I vaguely heard her cry as I convulsed in her arms.

"I'm fine!" I growled through gritted teeth. "Just fine..." I half-sobbed this time. "Perfect...spiffing... hunky-_sodding-_dory- AAARGH!" I felt my body spasm and saw Percy digging about in his bag and then tug free a bottle of nectar a second later. He unscrewed the top and pored some directly onto the wound. The cut seemed to burn and chill at the same time.

"Hold him still!" he shouted as he brought the bottle to my lips. "Drink!" he commanded and I didn't argue. Through the pain, I grabbed the bottle with my uninjured arm and began gulping it down quickly.

I was numbly aware of Aren warning me not to overdo it, but I didn't care. The coursing burn of the nectar seemed to melt the chill in my veins, like I was burning and freezing to death at the same time.

_That's enough!_

The voice was barely an echo on the edge of my mind, but I ignored it, trying to absorb as much of the fire into me as I could.

_I said you need to stop!_

I shook my head. I had to purge the horrible, terrible cold from me.

_**ENOUGH!**_

The voice seemed to bellow through my core and my vision seemed to turn red for an instant as I lost control of my body and found myself flinging the bottle away.

Percy cupped the bottle and screwed the top back on as he and Aren watched me, both wanting to help, both too wary to approach as the battle of fire and ice waged inside me for a moment, my body not responding to my commands.

_Relax...I've got you._

The voice was soothing, whispering, a deep contrast to the snarl I was somehow aware I was wearing on my face.

_Just give it a moment...you're almost there. I'm holding you steady, if you toss about too much you'll drag us both down into the void._

With a gasp I shot bolt upright as I regained control suddenly. My hand grasped my chest.

A pair of small hands immediately cupped my cheeks and I suddenly found myself looking into a wide pair of terrified green eyes.

"Armani?"

I gulped and nodded slightly. "Present and correct."

Her hand stroked my face slightly as she studied my eyes. "What happened? You were... you..."

"Your eyes went all..._weird,_" cut in Percy.

I touched Aren's hand and brought it away from my face, using her arm to steady myself as I stood. "I wouldn't worry about it."

"Wouldn't worry?" echoed Percy incredulously. "You went from mild-mannered demigod to snarling cat-eyed beast-boy and you tell us not to worry?"

_He really is a charming one, isn't he?_

I rubbed my brow, then examined the scar on my arm that even the nectar didn't seem able to heal. "Let's just say my instincts took over...quite literally. It's a child of Artemis thing...I think."

Aren and Percy glanced at each other as Aren squeezed my hand. "You're sure you're okay?"

I smiled as best I could. "Fine. I _swear_ I'm fine. But what in the heck was up with that shard?" I asked, curious and also wanting to change the subject.

Percy replied, "Kronos' scythe has the power to reap souls from people's bodies. I've been cut by it before but it was never that bad. I mean, it _hurt_, but not like _that_."

I took a few steadying breaths to bring myself back to full focus. I swallowed deeply and wiped the tears from my stinging eyes. "All his power...If that's all that Kronos has left, then that one piece is the focal point of all his power, and all his cold intent and hate. And I just sliced myself with it."

Percy sighed and crossed to the pedestal where the shard had been. "Well, it looks like you did it, whatever it was." He turned about revealing the shard. It glistened with the crimson of my blood and swirled with a similar distortion to the vortex it had created before, only now the swirls that wafted off it were an ominous glowing red.

It really was an evil thing to behold.

Percy walked to the edge of the void and held up the shard, "So what do you think? Shall I try it?"

I nodded, Aren's hand steadying me. "Go ahead. Let's see if we can't slice us a hole... Do it, Percy."

Percy nodded and turned about. He held the shard out to the side and then, in a wide arc, slashed out at the air in front of him.

As the blade of the shard hit the highest point in its arc it seemed to dig into the air itself, and as Percy brought it down it tore open that same air.

A nasty horizontal gash of pulsing blue light was ripped open. Percy staggered backwards as it expanded outwards until there was a gaping blue void of light hovering before us.

Percy gulped. "_Well_... we certainly ripped _that_veil a new one."

Aren and I approached him, the Hunter using her free hand to assist him to his feet whilst she regarded the opening before us.

"Well," I began, "It looks like the way is finally open."

Percy eyed it warily. "You think we should just, you know, _jump in_?"

I shrugged. "I guess... which is the best we can do right now."

"Right," said Aren firmly, stepping to the edge. "I'll try it first. If anything happens, then...then at least you'll know."

A pang of worry went through me. "But-"

She cut me off. "I'll. Try it. First." Her tone was utterly unwavering.

_Hmm, she's even more stubborn than you are...I think I like her._

I nodded. "Right...Best of luck, Aren."

She didn't turn around, but as she prepared to jump she seemed to hesitate. "I thought back there...just for a second...that you were going to leave me again."

I blinked in surprise. "You know me," I said, smiling gently at her back. "I always come back."

"Yeah...And that's one thing I'll always..." she trailed off and, after a moment's pause, leaped into the light.

There was a flash from the bright gap, but otherwise there was no sign anything bad had happened to her.

I nodded. "I'll head off next," I said, shaking off the last of the disorientation.

"She loves you," Percy's voice said suddenly. I glanced quickly back over my shoulder. His expression was odd. Not accusing, nor amused, it just seemed..._accepting_.

I regarded him in silence for a moment, saying nothing. I felt an almost playful smile spread across my face as I leaped backwards into the light and the world around me vanished into an eternity of blinding white.


	4. Chapter 4: Crimson Feather

**The Lost Prince**

**Chapter 4: Crimson Feather**

_Are we falling?_

_Moving forward, backward?_

_Perhaps leaping into the mysterious shimmering hole in the air wasn't such a bright thing to do..._

The world around me was nothing but a stretch of white. I had absolutely no physical sensation of movement other than an idea that the white void seemed to be shimmering past me like some strange vortex. I also say _me_ and not _us_ because I couldn't see the others. I had no idea if they were close to me in this strange tunnel or hurtling centuries further ahead.

A slight panic over the situation began to build when the sensation suddenly changed. There was a strange tugging feeling all over, like the walls of the vortex were closing in and dragging me to a halt. I felt my entire self seem to stretch backwards as the white closed in to swallow me whole.

Then the world reappeared around me.

The blinding white suddenly parted like a membrane tearing, and I found myself breaking through, back into the physical world. There was a sharp pain in my chest and ringing in my ears. It took a second to realize this was primarily due to the fact that I was screaming.

I gasped a few lungfuls of air as a twisting blue distortion appeared in midair to my right. It closed inwards upon itself, revealing Percy, who wavered on his feet and collapsed backwards, also giving into the urge to cry out in panic.

After a moment of very conspicuous shouting he suddenly collected himself, his green eyes flicking about nervously before fixing on me. "We made it?"

I nodded very slightly, frowning in thought. "I think so... We definitely made it through something. The question is; did we get off at the right stop?" I looked down to find Aren on her hands and knees, still gasping for breath with a cold sweat running down her face. "You okay?" I asked, and she swallowed the breath she was taking to nod in response.

I helped her to her feet as Percy stood up and stretched his arms up, checking himself up and down to see if he was still all there.

I then did something I regretted almost instantly:

I breathed through my nose.

Needless to say, having an enhanced sense of smell can have serious downsides.

I barely fought the urge to throw up as I half-doubled over, coughing.

"Armani, what is it?" Aren asked, and I was only dimly aware of the worry in her voice.

"_Smell,_" I choked, wiping my eyes on my sleeve and taking a second to compose myself. "_Sorry_..." I said clearly after a moment. "Was just a little thrown by the smell there. It's a little...overwhelming."

Percy sniffed the air also, his face screwing up in distaste. "That _is_nasty. Reminds me of the time the septic tank at camp burst. What _is_that?" he asked, glancing about.

I shook my head, looking at our surroundings. "Ambient scents. We're standing in a place with an atmosphere that I can only class as very unpleasant in an olfactory sense."

Percy regarded me blankly. "A what?"

"It _stinks!_" I snapped. "Now where in the heck are we?" I added, glancing about the dark alley we appeared to be in the middle of. The road was composed of cobblestones and dirt and was very uneven.

Aren waved us ahead. "Come on, this way..."

We followed carefully behind her and emerged suddenly into a street lined with houses.

The smell didn't get much better. However, the sight that greeted us was enough to take my mind firmly off my discomfort.

"Holy Hades..." breathed Percy as he took in the wide cobblestone street.

The road was lined with old-style terraced houses made from stone.

The stench appeared to be emanating from the fact that the locals had obviously taken to either dumping their waste in the alleys or just right out in the street.

The street was deserted, with the exception of a single woman standing on the steps outside one of the houses, who seemed to be taking out her aggression on a very dusty old mat.

"Where are we?" mumbled Percy as we drifted out into the middle of the street, dodging quickly to avoid what appeared to be a messenger boy on a horse who nearly ploughed straight through us.

He adjusted the cap on his head to get a better look at us, hurled some choice verbal abuse I shall not repeat, and turned his attention to the road ahead.

We drifted out into a wider street that was lined with small shops and stalls, the vendors seemingly in the process of packing up for the evening. Many of the men wore curved hats and period clothes that one would expect to see in a museum exhibit. Some walked with canes they obviously didn't need and many of the women wore equally ancient-styled dresses.

We stayed as close to the street corner as we could in an attempt to attract as little attention as possible. It didn't, however, stop many of the locals giving us bewildered and even dirty looks as they passed.

Things took a much worse turn when a passing woman, her arms loaded up with hessian sacks, paused and looked right at Aren, her eyes narrowing.

"McNamara?" She asked uncertainly.

Aren was unable to stifle a tiny gasp.

The woman's eyes widened. "Child, what _have_ you done with your hair? You almost look like a _boy_ like that. Why, your poor mother will simply faint when she sees what you've done. Really, child, to do such a thing... And is it not your birthday today? You should return home before the weather turns again."

Aren seemed to have lost the ability to talk and simply nodded in response, her face a deathly pale.

The woman shook her head and carried on her way, muttering under her breath all the while.

Percy and I watched the woman depart, a million questions suddenly rocketing through our heads. Questions...and an extremely _bad_ feeling, a dread and foreboding so horrible that I had to fight to ignore it.

"I know where we are," said Aren in an almost ghostly voice, that slight Irish edge to her accent becoming audible for just a second. She then began walking ahead of us down the street, her eyes still slightly glazed over. We veered to the left and found ourselves on a wide boulevard with larger buildings along it.

Aren was clearly ignoring the sights as if they weren't there. We reached the end of the wide street, which then led off onto what appeared to be a wooden dock. She halted dead, letting us catch up. When we did, nobody said a word, taking in the sight that lay before us.

It was a clear perspective over the Bay. It was almost unrecognizable, but for someone who had visited the city as much as I had, and no doubt for someone like Percy, who lived there, the landscape was unmistakable.

Almost completely unmarred by buildings was Manhattan Island; and, more noticeably, the almost utterly vacant Liberty Island, completely void of one of the world's most famous landmarks. Grand sailing ships and smaller wooden fishing boats littered the waters.

Both Percy and I seemed to turn in unison, facing back the way we came to regard what was truly an unrecognizable New York City.

"Great Scott," Percy gasped as he looked up at the almost empty skyline. In comparison to the sprawling metropolis we had been in merely hours earlier, New York would barely classify as a town by modern standards. Gone were the dizzyingly high skyscrapers, replaced by a few town hall buildings and shops.

"The Empire State Building..." muttered Percy, still in a similar state of disbelief to my own.

I shrugged. "Give it a couple of centuries," I said. "I'm sure it'll turn up."

He looked back at me. "But what about the gods? Where's Olympus?"

I frowned at the empty spot that was normally occupied by the skyscraper. "It hasn't turned up yet either...At least not entirely, I think."

Percy frowned. "Meaning?"

I shook my head. "I can only guess, but I don't think they've fully shifted over here yet. Some of them might have; those whose presence was needed and _their_heart of the west had moved. I mean it's not like Zeus suddenly said to the other gods, 'right, pack up kids, we're moving house'.

Percy nodded in thought. "So you think some of the gods are here, but the others are still in Europe or something?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. Poseidon and Zeus can rule the seas and skies from anywhere. At the moment, the heart of the west hasn't truly moved here. It must still be in a sort of transition period. The great melting pot hasn't finished cooking yet..."

"So what time do you think we're in?"

I shrugged. "I have no idea. I'd need some evidence before I could give you a concrete answer."

"What kind of evidence?"

"This year's calendar would be nice..."

"Oh, very funny," said Percy as he continued to survey the familiar yet so alien landscape around us.

I frowned as I watched the oddly dressed people mulling about on the main street ahead. "If my father _is_ here, then I'm not sure how we're supposed to go about finding him."

Percy nodded his head. "Though what Athena said makes sense. She didn't want us messing with the past. I'm not sure why she made us swear it though. I mean it's not like we'd do it intentionally, anyway."

I shrugged. "Well, documentary evidence suggests that when a person travels through time they run the risk of preventing their own birth. This is apparently doubly true with teenagers."

Percy sighed. "You've been watching too many movies."

"Sue me; I was raised by Apollo, my brain is somewhat contaminated by facts of varying degrees of usefulness."

Percy slid the shard he was still holding into his bag, its surface still shimmering with gently pulsing red light. "Let's hope this thing works twice."

I nodded. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Aren, we...Aren?" I looked about and spotted the huntress. She was walking slowly off along the side of the docks. "Hold up!" I called as we caught up to her. I could tell immediately that something was seriously off with her. Her face had become deathly pale and her eyes were scarily vacant. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"We have to get under cover..." she said in a tiny, distant voice.

Percy and I glanced at each other. "Why? What's wrong, Aren?" I asked, grasping her by the shoulders and bringing her to a stop.

I held her gaze, and after a moment her empty eyes seemed to recognize me. An instant later they started to well up with tears as she began to tremble violently under my hands.

"Aren?" I said as she tried to open her mouth. "What's going on? What do you mean?"

After a second, as tears began to pour down her face, she let out a desperate sob. "Because it rained earlier today...and it's about to start again!" A roar of thunder crackled over the skies that deafened the shriek of terror that escaped her. Her eyes were clenched closed as if to desperately try and block out the world around her.

I couldn't do more than wrap my arms around her as I looked to Percy, who seemed equally concerned as drips of rain began to patter down onto the cobblestones about us. The rain quickly became a cloudburst as I managed to lead her under a sheltered area of the promenade that ran along the water's edge.

"It was me..." she choked weakly in my arms, and I slid gently away from her.

"What do you mean? What was you?" I asked gently, leaving a hand on her shaking arm.

"I did it... I was the one who brought us here." Suddenly her tear-filled eyes shot to mine; they were wild and filled with fear. "We're in the wrong time!" Another crash of lightning came in time with her words, causing her to clench her eyes shut once again.

_I think she's right..._

I blinked.

_Meaning?_

_I don't think we should've come here... When we were in the tunnel I could feel our destination, far in the distance. We stopped short._

I turned my eyes to our companion. "Percy."

He flinched and looked to me, looking desperate to do something for her, too. "What?"

"I think we should get out of here..._quickly_."

Percy shook his head in confusion. "I don't understand. What's going on?"

I looked to Aren, who had her head against my chest, my shirt gripped tightly in her hands. I looked slowly back up at Percy and said in a quiet tone, "I think this is the day her parents were murdered."

Percy's eyes widened in shock and he appeared to breath out a disbelieving and horrified "_W__hat_?" But it was swallowed up by another roar of thunder.

A second later, the silence of the now-deserted streets was broken again, this time by a high-pitched scream of terror. It was mirrored almost instantaneously as Aren let out an identical scream in my arms.

My own eyes widened in horror as I detected a scent; it was almost indistinguishable from the one held against me, but coming from a different direction. There was nothing of the familiar apple tint that I'd come to associate with it, but it was still unmistakable. It was also laced with fear, one of the clearest and most obvious smells in all of nature.

I gripped Aren tighter. "Oh, gods, no..." I breathed out as my head turned slowly about as if of its own accord.

A trail of long blonde hair caught up in the rain was the first thing I saw. A light blue dress, soaked by the rain, clung to her form as her bare feet carried her as fast as she could move.

And she wasn't alone.

Out of the side-street she had emerged from, a trio of men in scuffed tunics and trousers bolted after her. There was no fear in them, only the thrill of the hunt...and the chilling expectation of what would come after. A fourth emerged a moment later; his pace was more leisurely, and he was dressed smarter than the others, his black tunic immaculate, black hat perched firmly on his head. He easily caught up with the other three, and seemed simply amused by what was going on.

She was trying to find help, trying to get to an occupied area, but the main boulevard was deserted, the people who had been mulling about having already taken cover to avoid the pelting rain.

"There was no one there..." Aren said in a tiny moan, her voice muffled by my shirt. "...I couldn't stop to try the doors, they were too close. There were some people after that," she paused to sob again, "But when they saw the men they just hid and closed me out...There was no one. They all ran away." Her nails tore into my shirt, the resistant Kevlar threads drawing blood from her fingertips. "I was so alone... I just ran away. I left my parents and just ran..."

I gently cupped her hands and held her closer, saying nothing. There was nothing I _could_ _say_; all I could do was let her know I was still there.

My head snapped about instinctively when I heard that same scream again; it sounded a bit weaker now, though. I tracked its location in my head.

_She's circling back around_...

"I didn't know where to run..." Aren suddenly said; her eyes a mile away as she continued her macabre commentary. "I just kept running... I don't know why I started running home again... but by then I had nowhere else to go."

I heard a panicked cry not far off. A crash of something being tossed aside followed a second later.

_They're closing...There's no way she's going to escape them._

I wasn't even aware my feet were moving as I found myself walking past Percy, placing Aren's hand on his shoulder as I stepped back into the rain.

"W-where are you going?" asked Percy. I could see him torn between not leaving Aren and going after me. "Armani!"

"Be right back..." I found myself saying vacantly as I walked through the pounding rain towards the alley Aren's past self had emerged from.

I could taste the blood still fresh in the air.

-PJ-

_Since when could 'be right back' be so ominous?_

I watched him vanish around the corner. I knew where he was going, but for some reason I felt too scared to see what look would be in his eyes, and I couldn't just leave Aren in the state she was in.

I knew how brave the Hunters were, but living in the worst night of your life would be too much for anyone. How could anyone stand to be reliving their worst nightmare like she was right now?

And then there was Armani, and that tone in his voice when he spoke those three words. There was something..._dark_ in there, something that sounded like it had just been stirred for the first time ever.

"But it doesn't make sense..." Aren suddenly said and I looked down at her. Her eyes were open again, and she looked strangely confused. I rested a hand on her shoulder.

"What doesn't?"

She shook her head and went silent as if searching for the words, trying to find herself from the midst of her own terror.

"What happened after...? It doesn't make sense..."

-A-

The humid air enhanced the thick, metallic scent of freshly spilled blood in the evening air.

I found myself drifting inexorably forwards, down the alley and onto a small, deserted street.

A small row of unlit houses occupied the short street. They were all silent and appeared empty, their windows dark and unlit. But it was the one that stood directly opposite the alleyway that drew my attention; its windows seemed somehow darker than the others, its smashed open doorway a dark invitation to what lay inside.

I wasn't sure if it was my instinct, or some other aspect of my personality, that drove me, but I couldn't stop myself as I drew closer to the doorway, the stench of death and fear heavy in the air.

The home was small and primitive, but well kept, its occupants obviously quaint but proud of their small lot in life. I crossed the threshold, the carpeted floor wet from the rain. The occasional painting hung on the wall, most in crooked angles. Ornaments lay scattered on the floor, obviously knocked off in a struggle.

It was the perfect representation of a small, contained little life being smashed to pieces, and all that was left was this strange memorial to an existence that had been torn away.

My eyes trailed to the man that lay further up the hallway, a pool of blood spilled out under his head where he had fallen.

His blonde hair was matted with blood, face covered in bruises. I regarded the hand that he appeared to have used to try and block the blows that took his life; the knuckles were bloodied and raw. Despite the man's small stature, his body bore the marks of one who fought tight to the death, kicking and screaming against the force that came to tear his family apart.

_He died fighting for his family._

I ignored my instinct for now and turned into the lounge area.

The scent of what had happened here was so pronounced that I couldn't fight the urge to gag at what lay before me. I won't describe in any accurate detail the condition that the fair-skinned woman who was obviously Aren's mother had been left in.

My hand reached out and tore an already loose curtain off its rail, tossing it down to cover her body in an attempt to give her some semblance of dignity.

My already acute hearing was only enhanced by the gaunt quiet of the little room, and so I could easily hear the patter of small feet approaching in the distance.

As I drifted towards the back door I found myself dwelling on the things I knew about Aren thanks to Aphrodite's power. And I finally understood it; that lingering shame that hid below the surface, a shame she had lived with and carried around for almost three hundred years, that on this night, after what happened to her parents, all she could do was run.

My hand numbly reached the doorknob to the back door and opened it, the sounds immediately becoming almost deafening in my ears, an all-too-familiar scent drifting in and mixing with those coming from behind.

Three hundred years of wondering, of asking herself if she could've done anything differently, of wondering if she could've done something to help; wondering what if she hadn't stayed out of the rain, which prevented her from going home on time, but no...

All she could do was run.

And I finally understood.

She _knew_ there was nothing she could've done, that she was the lucky one for not coming home early, that her escape granted her a new family and immortality...and she hated herself for it.

In that instant, surrounded by death and despair, I finally understood why it was I felt the way I did about her.

It was because I had lived a life no different than she. We both knew so well what it felt like to hate ourselves.

Three centuries of pain, and it was all about to happen once more...There was nothing I could do about that.

_They're closing... She's got seconds._

But there was one thing I _could_ do...

_There's no way she'll shake them, let alone make it all the way to the Hunters._

As the voice of that one crying maiden echoed through the air, begging for help, screaming for someone to respond to her...

_The maiden...Have to stop them..._

I was numbly aware of an almost overlapping voice in my instinct, as some other part of it began to take over.

_Have to do something..._

They were closing. I slowly crossed the back yard and approached the tall gate that separated it from the back alleys between the rows of houses.

Yes...There was one thing I could do.

_Don't just stand there!_

Just one.

_Do you have any idea-_

I could be that one voice...the voice that calls back.

_-what will happen-_

The one that can make sure she at least gets that new family.

_-if they CATCH her? _

With the thought of that one horrifying possibility, I suddenly felt my instinct and the fury behind it, the last aspect of myself, the one I feared more than any other, explode to the surface with such violent force that it swallowed my consciousness and every part of me with a burning, _screaming_ command, as some thread deep in my core _snapped_...and the wrath of Artemis took over.

_**KILL THEM ALL!**_

-PJ-

Aren shook her head. She looked confused. Which was better than distraught, I guess. "It doesn't make sense because Lady Artemis came back to take care of those men afterwards."

"I don't see why that's confusing, it sounds like something Artemis would do."

Aren shook her head again. "No...That's not it. It's confusing because, by the time Lady Artemis got there..." she trailed off again.

"What?"

"By the time she got there..." She slowly turned her eyes to mine, wide and still tormented. "...Those men were already dead."

-_**!**_-

The faster of the men didn't even have time to process it as the back gate they were running past seemed to explode off its hinges and strike him head on with perfect and quite lethal timing.

There was a sickening thud, a splatter of blood and grey matter, and it was clear the man was dead before he had even finished sliding to the floor behind the demolished gate.

The others skidded to a stunned halt, their gazes trained in shock at their deceased comrade.

And from within the cloud of dust that surrounded the doorway, a single figure emerged.

Small and shadow-like, it stopped directly in their path. Its head tilted round to regard the fleeing girl, who hadn't halted in her retreat and was now disappearing safely into the darkness.

The dust settled, revealing the form whose body was bathed in a licking flame of silver light.

Satisfied, he turned slowly about to face the remaining men, who were simply gaping in dumbfounded disbelief.

All four flinched as the boy opened his eyes.

Slitted silver eyes tinged with yellow focused in on them; cold, dark and burning with an old, incomprehensible rage.

The closest man, a stocky form in scruffy clothes and a bowler hat, was the first to fight past the instinctive human fear of the unknown and lash out with the wooden truncheon he was carrying as a weapon.

The child at first didn't even move, and then there was a flash of silver as the boy's arm lashed out with blinding speed. A horrible '_crack_' filled the air as the man's lower arm was snapped sideways, the bone tearing through the skin.

It happened so quickly that the man's scream was as tinged with confusion as it was with deafening agony.

His pain didn't last long; as the man staggered forward, the child used his remaining momentum against him. Grasping the man by the back of the head, he added his own strength to it and slammed the man's skull into the brickwork.

Bone gave way like glass as he fell lifelessly to the floor like a doll with its strings cut.

A roar of anger laced with fear filled the air as the next man charged, brandishing a knife that glistened in the glow the boy was emitting.

The child's eyes flicked sideways out of their peripheral as, without looking, his hand lashed out and grabbed hold of the man's wrist.

Rage turned to panic as his arm was twisted round at impossible angles.

The form spun about, driving his knee into the man's gut, causing him to lurch forwards a second before his own knife was forced up under his ribcage, piercing his heart with almost clinical accuracy.

The inhuman eyes watched up close as the life drained from the man's face. He pulled backwards, and explosion of blood spraying forth from the wound over the boy's hand as the man dropped limply to the floor.

The child seemed intrigued by the glistening knife for just an instant before dropping it limply to the ground beside him and began surveying the scene.

Eyes flicked about from body to body and then narrowed as his mind catalogued what was amiss.

Where was the Alpha?

He raised his face up and sniffed the air, listening carefully as the sound of feet scrambling over wet cobblestones became audible. Fear was easy to follow, and the strongest source was no longer coming from the direction the young girl had retreated.

He bared his teeth slightly as he began calmly walking off in pursuit of his prey. He picked up speed a moment later, leaping up onto the wall that lined each side of the alley and loped after the scent, closing in with almost leisurely ease.

-_**!**__-_

He was running, scrambling down over the smooth cobblestones of the alley, whimpering in panic. His once pristine black tunic clung to him, soaked through by the pouring rain.

What had just happened?

What was that _thing?_

He just had to get away, just needed to get back to the confines of their group's safe house, as long as he did that-

_Whoosh!_

The swirl of air caused by the shadow as it shot over his head was enough to blow his hat clean off his head, his oily black hair soaked and eyes wide with terror as the shadow spun about and skidded to a crouched halt directly in his path.

The man let out a panicked cry as he skidded backwards to a halt, losing his balance and landing flat on his backside in a puddle.

He scrambled back as the solitary figure regarded him. The man raised a shaking hand, pointing a trembling figure at the small boy as his teeth chattered in abject terror. "Y-you...W-who? What the _hell_ are you...You _demon!_"

The boy's face finally showed some emotion as it twitched into an amused smile, eyebrows above slitted eyes rising up slightly.

It was not a pleasant sight.

"_Demon_?" He echoed with amusement. His voice was as inhuman as his eyes. It was almost as you would expect it: that of a boy. And yet it seemed to resonate musically with a strange and ghostly female undertone.

He inclined his head, the smile was almost consoling, which was in itself an unbelievably terrifying thing to behold. "I'm no demon. In fact, I don't even have a name."

"W-what?" the man stammered.

"I'm just a thing: A means to an end."

The man just shook his head in terrified incomprehension.

"How many have there been?" The boy asked, the amused edge in his tone disappearing. "How many screamed and begged right up until the end? How many cried out into the darkness for help that wasn't coming?"

"I-is it money? Is that what you want, boy? 'Cause-"

He carried on, as if not hearing the man's pathetic plea. "Because that's what I am: I am simply a voice, the voice that called back from somewhere in the darkness."

The man shook his head and tried to scramble to his feet, only to slip backwards on the stones and land, to his horror, in the waiting arm of the boy.

The child crouched down, closing his arm tightly around the man's neck.

His prey froze, too scared now to speak or even think.

The boy tilted the man's head slightly so he could let him look deep into his inhuman eyes,

"You see, my friend, when you put it like that, as far as you're concerned, I'm _not_ a demon." He leaned in and whispered softly in his ear.

"...I'm the Devil."

_Snap_.

And thusly the boy stood, alone in the darkness, the song of the wild surging through him and manipulating his actions and movements like a puppet on strings, the child's own consciousness submerged in the storm of nature's rage. And all at once the immortal mind that was the source of that rage seemed to turn its attention to that small lonely soul engulfed by the storm.

The song parted around the boy's mind, leaving him hovering in the dark void that was the eye of the storm, as the immortal consciousness focused a small part of its attention on him. Three more words came through the darkness, whispering on the edge of his mind.

_Who are you?_

-A-

At those three words I came back to myself with a start and I immediately cried out in pain, collapsing to my knees as agony shot up my right leg and down my arm. "W-what the- What..."

_Easy there. The tendons in your right leg and arm are torn._

"Torn? W-what? What in the hell just happened? I just... I mean I just-"

_For what it's worth, you weren't in control._

"You did this?" I gasped, too much pain surging through me to let me think the words straight.

_No...This wasn't me._

I took a heaving breath and closed my eyes, thinking calmly back.

_Then what? I just... I just_killed_four people._

_It was the wild. I am a part of the Hunt, as I once said, but what just took over you was the will of the Hunt in its entirety. There was no way your small mind would have a chance to resist against that._

_Small mind?_

My instinct ignored my protest and carried on talking.

_You essentially allowed me to take over, but your rage came from both your heart and your affinity with the will of Artemis. To put it simply? You jacked yourself directly into nature using me as a medium._

I shook my head._Still not sure I get it, but why am I in so much pain?_

_The human body has limiters on it to prevent it pushing itself too far. You can normally only push about fifty percent of your body's maximum out before the strain stops you. Unfortunately the force that was coursing through you a moment ago wasn't exactly paying attention to your body's limitations. If you were being moved like a puppet, then the puppet master obviously didn't care how much strain he was putting on the strings._

I winced and staggered up on my uninjured leg._So you're saying I was going all out?_

_No... I'm saying it pushed you to about three hundred percent of your body's natural tolerances._

I limped along, leaning against the wall and headed back the way I came.

I grunted in pain as I turned back into the back yard of Aren's former home, avoiding looking at the remains of the men I had dealt with._And I thought you said when we returned to our home dimension I wouldn't be able to hear you so well._

_True, so what's your point?_

_So why in the heck are you so talkative?_

_I suppose it's like that dripping tap I once described. Do you recall?_

_Yes, you compared yourself to an annoying noise keeping me awake at nights... I thought the analogy was apt._

_Oh how very droll. But it's like if you were to turn a TV on to cover up that noise, you'll find your ears, despite your best efforts, have already attuned themselves to focus in on that sound._

_Great...I'm stuck with you then._

My instinct seemed to groan. _I know, marvelous, isn't it?_

I limped back out into the street, one foot dragging behind me.

_Are you okay?_

_Half the muscles in my body are thrashed. What do you think?_

_That's not what I meant._

I continued walking, the never ending rain pelting down on me. I looked down at the water as it ran down off my hands, the blood that coated with them creating a trail of crimson in the wet streets.

I paused to look at them, watching with morbid horror at how quickly the blood of those men seemed to wash off my hands. I stood in silence, images flashing through my eyes of what just happened.

_Am I a monster?_

There was silence in my mind for just a moment.

_I think that if you have to ask that, that you would burden your conscience with the lives of people like them, then you should already have your answer._

I didn't respond this time.

The voice spoke again. _It doesn't take a susceptibility to celestial bronze for something to be a monster. _

_I suppose..._

_They would've done worse than simply kill her if they'd caught her; you had to help. And they would've killed you, too, for intervening._

_That still doesn't seem to make it right._

_Of course not. That's because you're not a monster._

_...Thanks._

_Any time._

-PJ-

Aren leaped forward as soon as we sighted him. He was in a bad way; I could see that even from where we stood.

Armani limped slowly around the corner towards us. Aren shouted his name and dashed to catch him just as he collapsed.

I followed slowly after her as she quickly administered some nectar to him. My eyes were fixed on the trail of bloody footprints in the rain he had left behind.

"Armani," Aren said, "What _happened?_"

He groaned and shook his healing leg as she helped him to his feet.

He looked at the Hunter in silence for a moment, just looking into her eyes, and the barest hint of a sad smile reached his face. "You're on your way..."

Aren's eyes widened ever so slightly, and there seemed to be an almost silent understanding between them as to what had obviously just happened.

"Are you okay?" I asked, trying my best to smile as the rain made a very lame effort to soak me.

He smiled weakly back in response, "I'll live. I just got pushed a little past my limits back there."

My smile faded. "You know what Athena said."

He nodded. "I did nothing that hadn't already happened before."

Aren frowned. "I don't understand."

He averted his eyes from her. "There was no way you would've escaped. Something stopped those men in their tracks back then. And something attracted Artemis' attention enough for her to change course and head this way and end up running into you."

Aren nodded. "And the men, the ones Lady Artemis was going to-"

He nodded, but said nothing.

"So it was all you then?" I asked. "It was all supposed to have happened?"

He nodded. "We haven't changed anything, just ensured we were still a part of it."

I sighed. "Let's just hope Athena sees it that way."

He nodded in silence as Aren wrapped an arm around him and lead him from the rain. It seemed as if she could forget the past, at least for now.

"We need to go," he said after a moment. "My mother has sensed my presence here and will already be on her way to investigate. I think its best we go before she decides to take any _preemptive action_ against me."

I nodded. "Makes sense. If there's anything the movies _do_ teach you, it's that running into your parents in the past is never a good thing."

He smiled again, slightly less weakly as Aren's hand gently rubbed his slightly shivering arm. He seemed to relax under her touch.

I decided not to say anything about it. I think he needed her as much as she needed him right then, and so I walked towards the steps down back into the street and slid my bag open, retrieving the glowing shard.

I glanced quickly up and down the deserted street to make sure no one was watching and then slashed open the air ahead of us.

Thankfully, it worked; a bright white scar was torn open, revealing the void beyond.

I glanced back at the others. "Let's move people, no time like the present, or the...oh whatever. Let's go!" I shouted and leaped ahead into the vortex as the white swirl swallowed me up.

-A-

I shouldered my bag and was walking to the gap when Aren's hand gripped my shirt, halting me for a moment. "What, what is it?" I asked, glancing back at her.

"It was you..." she breathed, her wide eyes studying me.

I cocked my head. "What was?"

"It was all you. You stopped them; you brought Lady Artemis to me. You saved my life...and gave me a new one."

A sad smile spread across my face and I shook my head slightly. "It's nothing, really. I was just there."

She nodded once and took a step closer. "Yes... And that's what's important." And then, as she moved to go past me, she brushed her lips ever so slightly over mine with the ghost of a touch that made me wonder if it had even happened.

I stood rooted to the spot as I heard the clash from the void as it swallowed her, a warm buzz still present where that slight contact had been.

I sighed and regarded one last time the sad grey world around me. "Happy birthday, Aren..."

-A-

I knew what to expect this time as we tumbled out onto warm, soft grass, each of us managing not to give into our urge to scream again.

I did, however, gasp for air, and was rewarded as blissfully clean and pure oxygen filled my lungs.

"Oh... That is _so_much better!" shouted Percy happily as warm sun bathed us in a dry heat that was intense even for a summer at Camp.

A tropical sea breeze blew over us as we stood up and took in our surroundings.

We were standing on a grassy incline overlooking a vast blue ocean. A path of baked yellow earth wound its way up the hill towards a small patch of buildings, leading down to the beach below. Aren cocked her head. "_Well_...It certainly is warmer."

I nodded. "And we're definitely not in New York any more."

Percy looked at the glowing shard. "You mean this thing can take us to different places as well as times?"

"I'm not sure," I responded. "Before, it shifted us simply back in time whilst still in New York. So either it _can _move us in space as well as time, _or_..."

"Or what?" asked Percy, slipping the shard back into his bag.

I narrowed my eyes at the ocean and up the hill we were standing on, and at the mountain in the distance. "_Or_as far as the power of Kronos is concerned, we haven't moved at all..."

Percy frowned. "Well, _that_makes sense."

I shook my head. "Think about it; as time changed around us, what if something _else_ moved, and so the shard simply moved us along with it?"

Percy's eyes widened as it dawned on him. "The heart of the west."

I nodded. "It had probably only just started to shift to the United States, which is how it was able to take us into the past whilst still in New York. If we'd gone just a tad further back we probably would've ended up in London, the heart of the British Empire at the time. But _now_..."

Aren looked around. "Now we could be anywhere."

I rested a hand on my chest. "Regardless of where or when we are, I don't think we should be here... It still doesn't feel right."

Percy glanced at me. "_Again_? Are you sure?"

I nodded slowly. "We're definitely not where we should've gone to, but _why_? What happened this time?"

All of us flinched as a loud horn echoed over the hillside. We turned to the source to see a man standing on the roof of one of the structures. He was pointing excitedly at something and seemed to be shouting. For a moment it looked like it was us he was pointing at.

I saw Percy glance back over his shoulder. "Ahh, guys?" he said almost nervously as he turned about.

We both turned to see what he was looking at. "What the..." I trailed off as I sighted the ship that had become visible as it sailed past the rocky structures that littered the bay.

"That ship..." breathed Percy, "I've seen one like it before. Chiron showed us one just like it at a museum once..." We watched the wooden vessel sail closer.

"It's Greek," I said vacantly. The ship's sail was white and decorated with a green snake.

"_He's returned!"_ We all turned back about to see that one of the people from the village above had come running down the hill and was pointing at the ship. "_The great hero has returned!"_

It wasn't his words that were strange, but the fact that it took a moment to realize he wasn't speaking English. He was speaking Greek, Ancient Greek, the one language hardwired into the mind of every single demigod alive. And I sincerely doubted the man was speaking it out of novelty.

We staggered back as a bolt of blue lightning shot out from somewhere on the deck of the ship. It struck a hearth set into the roof of one of the buildings behind us with a crash, igniting it in a brilliant blaze and sending a shower of sparks flying into the sky.

A cry of shock went up from the locals, followed by an almost deafening cheer of approval.

"Guys..." I said a bit uneasily, "I think we might have overshot the mark a bit on this one."

_To be continued…_


	5. Chapter 5: Comparisons

**The Lost Prince**

**Chapter 5: Comparisons**

We observed from a distance as the entire population of the coastal village gathered around the small wooden pier that the large ship had been moored up to.

"Shouldn't we just leave straight away?" Aren asked as a gangplank was lowered down onto the dock.

Percy retrieved the shard and examined it, slashing at the air experimentally. It pulsed subtly and the air seemed to stretch as if about to tear, but then the blade simply returned to its former crimson glow.

He shook his head. "Maybe it's because we just got here."

I inclined my head. "Let's just hope it just needs time to recharge. I'd rather not have to quench its thirst unless it's absolutely necessary." I shuddered involuntarily as the memory of the pain returned.

Aren nodded. "I agree. But I think its best we stay as out of the way as possible."

"I agree. The further back we go, the more impact even the smallest of actions can have on the future," I said as I regarded the gathering below.

The mature and level side of me was telling me to just go off and sit out of sight until the shard could work its mojo once more. However, there was also that small nagging side, like a wolf cub that would wonder off from the pack out of curiosity, or even play rough and tumble with the Alpha. Thankfully, it was Percy who voiced the same thought I was having.

I saved face that way.

"Don't you guys want to know who the hero is? I mean," he paused to glance back at the hearth. "He certainly knows how to make an entrance."

I cocked my head. "Suppose it couldn't hurt to take a look…"

"Armani," chided Aren. "Are you forgetting what Lady Athena made us swear an oath about?"

"Not at all. We're just going to take a look, that's all. Come now, aren't you in the least bit curious? We Hunters are supposed to be spirited adventurers."

Aren blushed. "I _am_. We're also supposed to be _sensible_."

I nodded. "Hence why we're only going to _look_. We're not going for an autograph or anything."

"We're not?"

"No, Percy."

"_Fine._"

Aren nodded reluctantly. "Okay, but we keep to the shadows, got it?"

I smiled. "It's one of the things I'm best at."

_Okay, new rule: from now on you listen to her._

_Come again?_

_Well, you barely ever listen to_me_;__you really do need a voice of reason._

"Coming, Armani?" asked Percy as he headed off ahead.

I blinked to clear my head. "Right behind you."

-A-

We stayed behind the group of villagers. We were standing slightly up a dune so we could easily see over the heads of the locals. Their attention was so rapt on the vessel that no one even glanced back at us to take in our somewhat outlandish appearance. To be fair, the Huntress' tunic was somewhat classical in design, though it was still extremely post-modern for ancient Greece. My own was similar, despite the color difference. Percy's t-shirt and worn jeans might raise some eyebrows, though.

We watched as the first of the sailors emerged off the ship. Their faces were sunken and they looked unhealthily thin. They labored with barrels and sacks on their shoulders. One dragged what appeared to be some kind of chest.

The crowd parted for the deck hands but held baited breath as they disappeared up the hill towards the small town.

Next off were some equally weary-looking men. These were clad in dented armor and didn't look nearly as thin as the men who came before. The trio had been bandaged quite badly to cover numerous cuts and bruises. One even appeared to be missing a foot.

Despite their appearance, the crowd began cheering the haggard bunch. Despite their injuries, the men smirked and raised their blades in greeting.

As they staggered off the ship, several willing villagers gave them an arm to lean on as all eyes turned back to the ship and silence fell.

I heard him before I saw him.

The clinking of armor and heavy footfalls became audible over the breeze gently lapping waves. He must have been standing at the other side of the ship to keep himself hidden until last.

Which was quite a feat, considering how darn _huge_ the guy was.

The man strode slowly and stopped at the top of the ramp. He stood at well over six feet in height. His gleaming bronze armor plates glistened in the tropical sun that covered his obviously rippling muscular capacity.

If he had been injured at all, he showed no sign of it. In fact, he looked like someone who had been on a simple day cruise and not a long and brutally harrowing voyage. Long, curled, light brown hair cascaded down past his shoulders.

He stood in silence for a long moment, regarding the awed crowd with narrowed grey eyes.

As one they all bowed reverently before him.

His stern face broke into a grin as he suddenly chuckled, causing everyone to raise their heads back up as he let out a loud belly laugh.

His laughter must've been infectious, as everyone else suddenly started laughing along with him, which then seemed to bleed off into a deafening roar of cheers around him as he held his arms aloft, as if bathing in the applause cascading around him.

He reached down behind his back. The crowd immediately went silent again as he retrieved what appeared to be some kind of hair clip.

The crowd gasped in shock as he flicked it in his hand and it morphed into a shimmering celestial bronze blade, which he raised and stabbed towards the heavens. Storm clouds gathered instantly and thunder roared, electricity crackling up the blade from his hand and over his muscled body. A bolt of lightning struck the blade dead on as he bellowed over the thunder, his voice so loud it was like a thunderclap in itself.

"_FOR ZEUS!"_

The crowd immediately screamed and cowered in front of the display.

An instant later they were all cheering again and the man let out another hearty laugh as he held his sword to the heavens like some great trophy. "_VICTORY!"_

That one word was enough to stir the crowd up into even more of a frenzy.

I was ignoring the man's obvious show for the crowd. He was clearly practiced in playing to an audience in this way, and the locals all seemed more than willing to eat it up. What had my attention was the blade he held in his hand.

Recognition sparked and I leaned into Percy, nudging him with my elbow. He appeared to have gone quite pale. "Percy, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that _your_ sword that Captain Poser there is swinging about?"

Percy's mouth was hanging open in disbelief as he regarded the sword, his own hand almost unconsciously moving to his pocket and withdrawing the pen that concealed Riptide's true form.

"It can't be..." he breathed out. I noticed Aren's face seem to show a form of realization, and suddenly, through her disbelief, her gaze darkened.

"Anaklusmos," said Percy. "That's what it was called in this time. It was a gift from Zoë Nightshade to..._him._" he said that last part with wide eyes, as if unable to believe the words coming out his own mouth.

I turned my gaze back to the large hero, "But who _is-_" And suddenly the cheering became a chant. One word; over and over, as the man held his head high before his people. One word:

_Heracles_.

"Oh…You. Are. _Joshing_ me..." I said, gaping at the son of Zeus as he descended down the plank and into the arms of his people. I shook my head. "But that makes no _sense_. I mean, there's no way we could just _accidentally_ bump into arguably the most well-known hero in all of history right after coming out of the time jump and _right before_ he arrived back from wherever he's been." I glanced at the Huntress. "Did you do it?"

She shook her head. "_No_, I kept my head totally clear this time, for the entire trip I was letting my mind rely on yours to guide the way."

I nodded. "Yeah, and _I_ was thinking about nothing but reaching our destination, so-" I halted in the middle of the sentence as I realized Percy was studying the sand a little too closely.

I looked at Aren, who was also looking at the demigod, who seemed to be doing his best to shrink into his own shoulders.

We both leaned in from either side. "_Percy_..." I said calmly, "What did you do?"

"I didn't mean to..." he said sheepishly, still looking down. "I was just sort of thinking about it before I jumped in."

"About _what_?" demanded Aren.

He flinched and spoke quickly, "I was just thinking about you two, and then I was thinking about the Hunters, and then I kind of...drifted... back to a story about Zoë. Sorry, guys." .

I sighed. "A story? And let me guess; it involved our muscular friend over there."

He sighed. "_Yeah_."

I exhaled a tired breath and stood back up. "Okay. New rule: When it comes to time travelling, only I get to think."

_First time for everything._

_..._

Aren stretched and rubbed the back of her neck. "Alright, so we're here, and I'd be a bit hypocritical if I complained about someone taking us off course, so what do you suppose we should do? I still think we should go lay low somewhere."

I nodded. "I agree. Let's just slink off and be scarce."

Percy and Aren nodded as we all turned slowly about and carefully edged away from the group, heading slowly away just as Hercules issued his demand that a feast be immediately prepared in the town square so he might 'regale' everyone with tales of his adventures.

I heard more cheers of agreement as practically the entire town amassed around the walking mountain of a man and began escorting him back to the town up from the beach.

"_You three!_" We all tensed, freezing rigid as Hercules' booming voice seemed to pursue us and drag us to a halt.

"Maybe he's talking to someone else?" whispered Aren.

"Keep walking." I murmured out of the corner of my mouth.

No sooner had we taken a step than did his voice sound again, "_Three children, I speak to thee!"_

_Oh, spiffing. And my brain's translating him into ye olde English, which is great considering the last person I met who spoke like that nearly succeeded in gutting me like a fish. _

We all turned slowly about and found Hercules regarding us, standing easily head and shoulders above his entire entourage. Only then did I realize how conspicuous we looked; an entire town surrounding him and the three of us quite glaringly splitting off and heading away in another direction.

We glanced at each other as he spoke again, "_What ails the? Do you not_wish_to hear my tale?_"

The entire town had quite annoyingly turned about and were looking at us questioningly. And I had a strong suspicion Hercules wasn't so much asking us a question as much as he was wondering who would dare deem him unworthy of their undivided attention.

I coughed. _"N-nothing. Nothing ails us at all...my lord. We just-"_ I halted, my hand going to cover my mouth as I suddenly realized I was responding in fluent Ancient Greek.

I saw one of the villagers frown at us and stand on his tiptoes to whisper something in the demigod's ear. The hero's eyes narrowed at us as he listened and I suspected we had just being fingered out as not being from the local area. "_What land do you hail from? Thy countenance seems somewhat...foreign."_

I glanced suddenly at the others nervously. They both shrugged and so I turned back to the hero. _"We are...travelers...hailing from the faraway land of, umm... Hill Valley... in the…ahh great country of... San Dimas." _

_Oh, how could you?_

_I'm ad-libbing! I can't see you doing any better!_

"_Travellers!" _echoed the hero gaily. "_Then surely you must wish to join me at our feast, so you may take back the tales of the legendary Heracles to share amongst your people!"_

_He's a presumptuous chap, isn't he?_

"We're making a scene," muttered Aren in my ear, "perhaps blending in with the crowd will be the best way of keeping a low key."

"I think so too. Besides, I don't think this guy's the sort to take no for an answer," mumbled Percy in the other.

I plastered a bright smile on my face, "_Of course! We would be...honored...to hear of your great feats, my lord!"_

The large demigod nodded satisfactorily and allowed himself to be led up to the town by his adoring fans as we trailed along behind.

"I am not looking forward to this," said Aren in a disgruntled voice as we followed a short distance behind the main group.

I inclined my head acceptingly. "He is a little over the top. Apollo always said he was conceited. Though I suspect his boasts aren't entirely without merit. You saw the state of the other warriors with him, and yet he seems to have come out of the voyage not much worse for wear."

Aren scoffed. "_Please._ He probably just drank some nectar and kept a change of armor on his ship ready for when he got back."

I was quite surprised to see Percy nod in agreement with her hypothesis. I had always heard that Hercules was a total egotist, much more than was known in common legends, but I never based my full opinion off hearsay alone.

"How come I can understand him?" Aren suddenly asked.

I glanced sideways at her. "What do you mean?"

She nodded at Hercules. "I could understand every word he said, and I'm not even a demigod."

"Maybe it's because you're a Hunter. Artemis' power might pass that ability along," said Percy.

"So..._magic_?" I offered.

"Magic," nodded Percy.

Aren shrugged. "Works for me."

-A-

The rest of the day seemed to be a hustle of activity as people prepared the feast for their returning hero. The town was small but impressive. The buildings were small and composed of glistening white granite and marble. The ground was dry, interspaced occasionally by a patch of grass or two and the occasional olive tree.

We had been offered clothes of a more local caliber, so we looked the part when we sat in our chairs at the long wooden table laid out in the town square. Said seats, as an envious townsperson had explained, were near the head with the hero and his greatest warriors.

Obviously, Hercules wasn't going to miss an opportunity at some ancient viral marketing when he saw the chance.

Another hearth had been placed in the square that illuminated the area in a warm yellow glow as the festive atmosphere increased in intensity. We had attempted to leave at one point, but considering how many people were coming and going, we had found it extremely difficult to do so without attracting more attention.

I breathed a weary sigh as I regarded myself in the polished bronze mirror.

_And I thought the camp outfit looked silly..._

In comparison with the black Greek-styled toga I had been provided with, the blue and orange outfit that was the tradition back at Camp Half-blood looked the picture of modern fashion.

Percy looked equally as outlandish in the one he had been provided, his being a slightly bluish-teal number. Obviously the locals had been attempting to match the color of his t-shirt in an effort to match his look, although I'm guessing the 'I heart NY' logo was not something they could duplicate. The only thing that set him apart from any of the locals was the fact that he had Riptide's top hooked onto the neck of the outfit.

Aren, on the other hand, was blushing furiously, looking at the tailor who had provided the clothes like she was about to murder him in a very slow and brutal fashion.

She shot us both a withering look as she emerged from the small building she had been changing in. "Say a word, just _one word_..."

She didn't need to finish the sentence. She was clad in white, in the female style of outfit that we wore, which was designed to show more whilst leaving as much to the imagination as possible. I noted that the right arm was more exposed than the left, which was often the tradition with priestesses of my mother: leaving the bow arm exposed and ready to use. I supposed her hunting daggers were enough of a give away to her specialty for the man to choose something appropriate.

I was honestly about to compliment her on how genuinely stunning she looked, but I sensed it was the last thing she wanted to hear right then.

"Let's just get this over with." she grumbled and led us back to the square. I subtly carried our bags with us and slid them under the table as I sat down; on the off chance we might need to leave in a hurry.

Aren tensed up as a large hand took hers as she was about to sit down. Her teeth glared and she instinctively swung her free fist around with lightning speed to break the jaw of whoever it was that had touched her.

Her fist was caught almost effortlessly in another large one and she turned her head around to find herself face to face with Hercules, who was smiling in a somewhat amused and appreciative way at her reaction.

"_I apologize for startling thee, fair maiden. But my manners would not have__forgiven__me had I not offered you a hand to your seat at my table."_

Aren looked about ready to head butt the smile off his face. I saw her force her face into a mask of wafer-thin composure and allow the hero to sit her down, her shoulders tense and rigid.

I eyed Hercules coldly as he walked past the men sitting in the chairs two down from the one at the head of the table which was obviously reserved for the hero himself, the two immediately to his left and right being filled by a pair of women who appeared more than delighted to stand again and take the hero's hands and sit down by him, seemingly trying to merge themselves into his upper arms as they leaned up against him. The son of Zeus did not seem in a very objecting mood to the attention.

I sat across from an increasingly irritated Aren and looked at her apologetically. "Just how long do we have to remain here?" she asked of Percy, who looked surprised that she hadn't shattered Hercules' teeth with her forehead.

He reached down into his bag under the table and examined the shard, "It looks brighter. I think it's almost ready. Just give it a little more time and I think we'll be good."

"It didn't take this long before," I said, "so either it just takes longer to recharge because of the journey's distance, or it's running out of power."

"Let's hope it's not the latter," said Aren as servers began piling the food onto the table.

Percy eyed his goblet as one of the women filled it with red wine and then carried on down the table. "Two thousand years from the nearest diet coke or not, I'm still a minor."

I smiled. "I suppose Aren's the only one here legally allowed to drink."

Any further conversation was cut off as Hercules banged his goblet down on the table, silencing the activity around him. A server automatically rushed back to refill it again as he settled down to regard all those present.

He raised a toast to the gods which all present joined into and then began detailing his voyage to the locals who ate up his words with rapt attention. In front of him, lying sideways on the table, was his Riptide, sitting constantly at hand as a visual reinforcement of his deeds.

He would occasionally mention how his companions fought valiantly. It was enough to keep them smirking happily without actually taking any of the limelight away from Hercules himself.

People would question with excitement about how he stole his way into the Gardens of Hesperides. They held their breath and laughed as he told of his battles with hapless monsters who would cross his path, and then finally came to the climax of his tale; his single handed theft of the apple of Hesperides and his battle with the tree's guardian, Ladon.

Hercules swallowed a mouthful of wine as he finished describing his one-on-one bout with the dragon. "_Yes, a noble opponent was that great serpent. Alas, it was__no match for the strength the gods had given me. So impressed was I with__its__strength and prowess in battle that I allowed it to carry on living, but not of course before claiming the apple and leaving triumphant and victorious!"_He laughed, and the table applauded.

Suddenly, to my surprise, Percy spoke. "_I've heard of those gardens. Isn't it true that they're impossible to enter and that those who do never leave?"_

Hercules took another sip and inclined his goblet at Percy appreciatively. "_Thou art very__knowledgeable, young stranger. Yes, such a feat would normally be impossible for_any_one man."_

I noticed Percy was smiling, although it didn't seem to be reaching his eyes. "_Except for you, of course, Lord Heracles?"_

The hero gave a toothy smile and nodded in acceptance. "_Of course."_

Percy inclined his head almost questioningly and I noticed there was a dark look behind his smile. "_Did you really meet no one there? No one helped you at all?"_

Hercules, smiling still, shrugged his wide shoulders dismissively. "No one worth mentioning."

I grabbed Aren by the shoulder reflexively and held her down before she could pounce at the demigod. I leaned into Percy's ear, "Percy...What are you _doing_?" I hissed.

Percy just continued smiling. "_Amazing. And you fought__the dragon with that sword?"_ He pointed at Riptide.

Hercules nodded and picked the weapon up with a smile, holding it up for all to see and turning it slowly, its bronze blade seeming to glow in the firelight. "_Aye,_ _behold my Anaklusmos; forged from the metal of the gods themselves."_

There were murmurs of awe from the amassed people as Hercules ran his hand along the blade.

Percy suddenly spoke over the noise, "_Where did you get it?" _

Hercules' smile froze in place. The break in his confidence lasted only a split second before he relaxed again. I looked at Percy. His smile was still plastered in place, but his eyes were narrowed dangerously at the larger demigod.

Percy Jackson was _angry_. I hadn't seen him with that sort of look in his eyes since Annabeth was hurt during the fight at Alcatraz.

Hercules just chuckled. "_A treasure, stranger, a prize like any other. Does it matter where each trinket came from?"_

Percy shrugged. "_It's such an amazing weapon. It must have some great story to it, right?"_

Hercules just laughed again. "_I got it from a__passerby__I happened to encounter, 'tis nothing of__importance."_

Percy's eyes narrowed further. "_You were given it?_"

Hercules' humor seemed to be melting as his smile became a tight line. "_In a way."_

Percy nodded again. "_So who gave it to__you, then?"_

Hercules opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out. His eyes flicked about, and I realized that all present were awaiting an answer with innocent curiosity.

"_Does it matter, boy?_"

"_I'd just like to know."_

"_Why art thou so insistent?_"

Percy raised his eyebrows innocently. "_I just think if you were given help then you should at least give some credit."_

Hercules eyes narrowed and he scowled openly at Percy. "_Help? You would claim that I, Heracles, son of Lord Zeus, needed help?"_

"_No, I'm just saying if you had it then you should say!"_

Hercules bared his teeth slightly. "_I gave mention to those who deserve it. Did thou not hear me tell of my companions' valiant struggles alongside me?__Did those words not reach thine ears?"_

The men nodded acceptingly. He had made a passing mention, though they really were meant to show they were nothing more than supporting players who had no real part in the action.

"_Are you saying there was no one else? No one helped you in the gardens, not a soul?"_

Hercules held his head high and regarded Percy with deep scrutiny. "_Do you call me a liar, boy?"_

There was an intake of breath, and for long moment there was a silence as Percy locked eyes with the legendary hero.

I suppressed the urge to sigh. I knew what the next word was going to be even before it came out.

Percy met his gaze unflinchingly. "..._Yes._"

A loud gasp reverberated about the table and rage flashed over Hercules' features as he bolted to his feet, Percy doing the same in time, eyes locked as the larger hero tore up his sword, scattering his food and wine to the side.

Everyone else slid to their feet and staggered back for safety.

Hercules held his blade up for a moment as Percy stood unarmed and unmoving before him. And then the larger half-blood did the strangest thing:

He laughed.

It was a loud, boisterous laugh that echoed over the hillside around us, as one hand went to his side to steady himself. Percy looked totally thrown as the son of Zeus patted himself on the leg with his free hand and wiped a tear from his eye. "_Oh, young stranger, thou art truly a brave one. There is not a man in the land who would have dared speak such words to me. Yet you show no fear. Worry__not;__I shall not kill thee for thy query. Bravery such as yours is rare. You remind me so much of myself, and for that I shall excuse thine words."_He waved back the amassed guests. "_Please, sit, friends. The boy spoke merely in jest, I am sure,"_ said the hero as he pointed his blade at Percy.

I don't know why, but something Hercules had said seemed to have really upset the son of Poseidon, as he was now glaring daggers at him.

Percy raised his hand up, grabbed hold of the blade and pulled it out of his face. "_I didn't speak any 'jest'. You're lying, Heracles, simple as that."_

Everyone froze dead, but Hercules didn't show any reaction to Percy's words. In fact, it looked like he hadn't heard him at all. His eyes were locked on where Percy's hand was gripping the blade of his sword.

Hercules pulled the hilt up experimentally. His eyes went wide and he tore the sword free suddenly and took on a fighting stance.

It took only an instant for me to realize what had startled Hercules so much.

_The blade is celestial bronze; it should've passed right through his hand!_

I turned to Percy and concentrated so I was speaking in English again. "Percy, the blade! He knows you're a half-blood!"

Percy turned his attention to me just as Hercules slashed his sword at the smaller demigod accusingly, which probably would've cleaved his jugular open if he weren't virtually indestructible and instead succeeded only in slicing off some of his hair.

If Hercules noticed this little oddity he didn't show it. His eyes looked blinded by rage as a thick permeating scent of ozone filled the air. The other villagers backed off in fear, and Hercules own men drew their swords and turned their attention to Aren and I.

"_Spies!__Servants__of Hera!"_snarled the demigod. A vicious, predatory smirk spread over his face, _"So thou art a child of the gods too, boy. Never would I have dreamed we were_that _much__alike. Speak thy name."_Percy remained silent and stared icily at the hero. Hercules cocked his head and smiled condescendingly, "_What keeps thou silent? Hast terror rendered thee mute? Hera's schemes truly are lacking in guile these__days. I shall send thy head back to thine mistress alongside those of thy__traitorous__companions!"_

Percy bared his own teeth for a second as he weaved under Hercules' sword and kicked him in the chest with enough force to send the son of Zeus staggering back a step. "_I do_not_work for Hera."_The startled look on Hercules' face turned utterly agape as, with a flick of Percy's wrist, a second Anaklusmos emerged into play. "_My name is Percy Jackson, and I am_nothing_like you."_

_To be continued…_


	6. Chapter 6: Third Time Lucky

**The Lost Prince**

**Chapter 6: Third Time Lucky**

Hercules gaped in disbelief at the weapon Percy was wielding, his eyes flicking to his own blade and back again. His gaze suddenly focused to Percy, eyes filled with rage.

"_That__traitorous__wench!"_ snarled the great hero. "_I should have known better than to trust that miserable little titan-spawn!"_

Hercules was prevented from making any more unflattering comments when he suddenly found himself blocking a lightning fast overhead strike from an extremely upset Percy.

There was clear shock on Hercules' face as he found himself unprepared for the amount of strength Percy could put into a single blow. The larger demigod was forced to grab the hilt of his sword with both hands to force back Percy's Riptide

The two identical swords sparked as they grappled against each other, the two heroes almost face to face, Hercules being practically pushed down on his knees. "_Yeah,_" Percy said with bared teeth, "_you just keep talking__about her__like that!"_ He slid his blade suddenly down the length of his opponent's, using the momentum to leap round into a side kick that struck the hero square in his breastplate.

Hercules reeled back, staggering back a few steps as Percy twirled his blade once over in his hand and retook his stance.

The son of Zeus stood back up to full height, raised his blade back up and took on a matching pose. There was a serious glare in his eyes and I sensed that if Hercules had underestimated the smaller demigod before, he certainly wasn't going to now.

I was pulled from my observation as I caught a flash of silver out of the corner of my eye.

I leaned back on reflex, just as one of Hercules' men made a serious attempt to separate me from my head.

I swung back up and around into a roundhouse kick that struck easily under the man's poor guard. The force, which I may have used a little too much of, sent him sprawling back into one of the small granite houses surrounding the square with enough force to crack both the surface and more than likely a few of his bones.

He didn't get up again after that.

_Obviously not demigods, then…_

I saw another of Hercules' number lunge forward and grab Aren by the shoulders from behind.

I moved to help her, but she suddenly tensed up and swung her head back. There was a sickening crack as she shattered the man's nose with the back of her head. The man let go of her to cradle his face as she spun about, grabbing him by the leather straps that held his armor in place and slamming her knee into his chest. He collapsed forwards onto his knees and Aren kicked him viciously in the gut several times rapidly with enough force to lift the man clear of the ground, finishing it off by pivoting about on her heel and booting him clear in the side of his face. There was a spray of blood from his mouth and he fell onto his stomach. He was either unconscious, dead, or had just made the sound tactical decision to stay out of the rest of the fight.

Aren spat a curse at the fallen man and turned back to me, brushing off the scruff marks where the man had grabbed her with distaste.

There was a telltale whistling in the air and I summoned my bow reflexively, spinning about to shoot down the arrow that was about to strike Aren's side.

I formed another arrow and looked down the shaft at the archer standing just out of concealment at the edge of the square. He froze dead in the process of nocking another arrow.

"_Not smart,_" I said with a slight snarl and loosed the arrow, the silver bolt slicing through the man's bowstring and slamming into his upper leg.

The man screamed in pain from both the arrow in his leg and as the suddenly unstrung bow sprung back and smacked him clean in the eye. I paid him no more heed as he crawled off screaming in agony clutching his bloodied eye.

_Three down..._

We both turned in time to face the remaining man, who was clearly much smaller than either of his associates and indeed looked downright scrawny in comparison; in fact, I remembered him as being one of the deck hands that had first emerged from Hercules' ship.

He held a large sword which was clearly too big for him and was glancing between us, fear plastered on his face, the weapon he held shaking noticeably in his hands.

I heaved a tired sigh and rolled my eyes. "_Oh_, _just fall down,__would you?"_

He blinked in surprise, nodded stupidly, tossed his blade to the side, and kindly complied with my request.

I dismissed my bow and turned to Aren. "I suppose that's why Hercules picked these guys as companions…"

"What do you mean?"

"Stand next to these guys and _anyone_ would look like a legend in comparison."

"_Die, foul knave!"_ bellowed a loud voice.

"Oh...I almost forgot; he's still fighting him," I said, turning back to the other two half-bloods. "Shall we watch?"

Aren shrugged, "May as well..."

Hercules swung his sword at Percy and an arc of lightning flashed out from the blade and struck Percy head on.

The force sent the son of Poseidon hurling back into the dirt. And Percy immediately got back up again and started advancing.

Hercules seemed startled, and immediately fired another blast of lightning.

And Percy got back up again.

After another five or six attempts, the large demigod was finally starting to realize something was up.

The son of Zeus held his sword sideways as his teeth seemed to grit in strain, his eyes narrowed in focus. The large demigod's sword glowed with a pulsing blue light as he swung about and hurled it at Percy like a spear. The glowing projectile hit the son of Poseidon clear in the chest and there was a mighty explosion that totally engulfed the demigod.

_Hmm, not bad...A little unsophisticated, but still..._

The dust cloud eventually settled, revealing Percy lying face down in the crater made by the explosion.

Hercules raised his head up and looked down at the fallen demigod proudly.

And Percy got back up again.

Hercules' jaw nearly hit the floor.

Percy stood up, patting himself down and flattening his hair, which as a result of the shock was sticking straight up in an almost comical fashion.

"_Why won't thou die?"_ demanded Hercules incredulously as he gasped for breath, sweat running off his forehead.

I got the feeling that last attack was his ace in the hole.

I sighed. "This may take some time..."

Aren nodded. "We could be here all night. Although, to be fair, watching _him_ getting his behind kicked for hours on end isn't something I'm sure I'd ever get tired of."

Percy bent down and retrieved the other Riptide. He twirled it once in his hand and tossed it back hilt-first to Hercules, who caught it on reflex, eyes still wide and confused. Percy regarded him coldly.

Hercules pushed his confusion aside and, with a loud roar, charged Percy and delivered a heavy strike similar to Percy's opening move, and this time it was Percy who showed the strain.

Percy may have been a child of the Big Three also, but the larger demigod clearly held a distinct edge in terms of brute strength. He parried Percy's counter and shoulder barged him with enough force to send him spinning onto his chest beside the small well at the side of the square.

Hercules took the opportunity while he had it and stamped down on Percy's shoulder, pinning him to the earth.

The son of Zeus' face twisted into a nasty smirk as he raised the point of his sword up and prepared to drive it down into the small of his opponent's back.

And then something odd happened with Percy. In that brief instant when he realized what was happening the look on his face changed, just for a second, from utter impassive confidence to absolute panic.

I moved to call my bow, but before I could act there was a blur of gold. An instant later Hercules cried out in pain at the dagger that Aren had thrown, embedding itself up to the hilt in his bicep.

He staggered back off Percy and dropped his sword, tearing the dagger free with disgust.

He snarled at the Huntress and that smirk came back as he flipped the dagger round and, with a flick of his wrist, sent it flying back to its owner.

It turned out Aren didn't need my assistance this time either as, with reflexes that frankly shocked even me, she flicked her head to the side. The dagger embedded itself in the wooden doorpost behind her.

She inclined her head and smiled cordially. "_Thank _you_,"_ she said, sliding the dagger back into its hiding place.

Hercules gaped at her disbelievingly for a second. Then he suddenly lurched forwards and flat onto his chest as Percy kicked him in the back.

The son of Zeus flipped himself straight back onto his feet, pulling his sword up in the process and swung it round to guard.

And then he froze.

"_Impossible..._" breathed the half-blood as he watched as swirls of water began snaking their way out of the well behind Percy seemingly of their own accord.

The streams spiraled over one another and wound their way up Percy's leg, twirling their way over his right arm and gathering into one huge hovering orb of water.

The ball grew until it was nearly three meters in diameter and then the streams abruptly cut off.

Hercules stood, almost hypnotized by the sight, as Percy began clenching his upturned palm. His brow clenched as if in strain and the ball began shrinking, swirling and rippling inwards as he compressed the water down.

Finally his fist closed and there was a shimmering blue sphere little bigger than a soccer ball.

Percy regarded the orb, his green eyes glittering at the sight, and arched his head slightly around to regard Hercules, a small smile playing across his face. "'_Impossible?'_" he echoed with amusement. "There's no such thing_."_He flicked his fist out at the disbelieving demigod and the orb shot at him like a cannonball, striking him in the face with such force it lifted him clean off the ground as it exploded into a torrent of water, hurling the demigod halfway across the square. His head struck the side of the dining table which upended over him, spilling the entirety of the defeated hero's celebratory feast over his head. He grunted once as a suckling pig rolled off and hit him on the back of the head. And then he was still.

The square fell silent; the only sounds were the trickling of water as it subsided, along with the hissing of the fire in the hearth as the flow extinguished it, bathing us in moonlit darkness as a result. Percy took several steps forward and nudged the fallen demigod with his shoe. He didn't budge.

I inclined my head, "Water cannonball, huh? _Nice_."

The ghost of a smile tugged on his face as he regarded the unconscious Hercules, "Thanks. I thought I'd best put some serious _oomf_ into it to make sure. I didn't want to drag it out any longer." He wiped a sheen of sweat from his brow and I suddenly noticed how heavily he was breathing.

"Are you okay?"

He took another few breaths, nodding, "Yeah...just... A little wiped. Seems the more damage I _should_ have taken the more I need to rest afterwards."

I nodded. "And being hit in the face by something akin to a bazooka round can't help."

"Percy," said Aren suddenly.

Percy wiped his forehead again. "Yeah?"

Aren went silent, and I could see her trying to search for the words. "What you did..."

Percy smiled weakly. "She was my friend too."

Aren nodded. "Still...It was..._noble._Athena's gonna kill you for sure, but still..._noble_. I won't forget it."

Percy blushed slightly. "Thanks...Almost makes up for the fact that Athena's finally gonna have that excuse to turn me into a Gorgon next time she sees me."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," I said distantly as I looked off into the night, a strange sensation nagging at me.

"What do you mean?" asked Percy, "Beating down a legendary hero tends to be noticed."

I scoffed. "_Please_. He'll be up by morning and he'll clean himself off, and do you _really_ think he's going to give an accurate tale of how the three teenagers beat the stuffing out of him and his men so easily, especially when there were no witnesses to be seen?"

Aren sighed. "Nope, I get the feeling it'll be more along the lines of Hercules having crushed the liars and spies sent by Hera so badly that there wasn't a speck of dust left." Her face fell. "And no one will know the truth about Zoë..."

"He will," said Percy suddenly, nodding down at the fallen demigod, "And he'll know there's someone else out there who does, too. Hopefully he'll think twice from now on before he goes off flapping his gums."

I smiled. "One can only hope." Suddenly that sensation turned into a familiar, and in this case _disturbing_, tugging in my gut. "Oh no..." I said, my hand going to my abdomen on reflex.

Percy and Aren turned to face me. "What's wrong?" asked Aren as Percy leaned down to grab our bags from beside the upturned table.

"We have to go, _now!"_I said emphatically, my eyes wide in rising panic.

"Why, what's up?" asked Percy, approaching with Aren.

"She's coming!" I said.

"Who is?" asked Percy with a frown.

"Who do you think?" I snapped.

Aren's eyes flashed with comprehension. "Lady Artemis..."

"And I would rather not be here when she gets here. Negating my own birth is something I would like to avoid if at all possible. Percy, shard."

Percy nodded and pulled the glowing shard free of his pack. "It looks ready."

I extended my hand. "Quick, give it to me. I'll go first. Hopefully if I lead the way this time we might end up where we need to go."

"If you say so." he said, cocking his head and handing it to me.

"I do, and we really don't have time to debate the issue." I said and without hesitation or looking back, I slashed at the air in front of us.

Thankfully Percy's assessment was accurate as I felt the air seem to resist and fold inwards as if I were applying pressure to something. As I swung it along the arc a blinding gash was opened in the air. "Let's go!" I shouted and jumped straight through, Percy and Aren following immediately behind.

-?-

Not an instant after darkness fell again, a small girl dressed in ancient Greek hunting gear emerged from around a corner and strode into the middle of the square, her silver eyes scanning the darkness for something that wasn't there.

A moment later, another figure emerged; the goddess' latest recruit and newly appointed lieutenant. She stopped a few feet behind Artemis. "_My lady_?" asked Zoë, somewhat confused at her mistress' abrupt departure from Olympus, leaving the other Hunters behind. "_If I may ask, why did we need to leave so suddenly?"_

Artemis didn't turn, her eyes still scanning the emptiness ahead of her. "_I am unsure, Zoe. I thought I sensed... It really does make no sense..."_She trailed off and suddenly her eyes fixed on the demigod who was lying propped up against the overturned table coated in wine and a myriad of other foodstuffs, appearing somewhat bloodied and looking well and truly disheveled. Artemis cocked her head. "_Interesting..._"

"_My Lady?"_ enquired Zoe, and Artemis nodded her head at the fallen demigod. Zoe turned to Hercules and her eyes widened in shock.

"_Heracles..._" intoned Artemis. "_Was he not the demigod who wronged you?_"

Zoe glared darkly at the fallen hero and nodded, not wanting to waste a word on him unless necessary.

Artemis smiled slightly. "_I could exact a fitting__punishment__on him should you desire._" She turned to look at Zoe, eyeing her inquisitively.

Zoe glanced at Hercules and back, and somehow knew that her new mistress was testing her reaction. She turned away from the demigod with disgust. "_He is not worth the time it would take to explain thy actions to Lord Zeus. Besides,"_she said with a mirthless smile, "_It would appear the mighty hero hath__fallen afoul of one greater than he on this__night already.__On this__pathetic specimen__I would waste no more of my time._" A small smile played unseen on the corner of Artemis' mouth as she judged the Hesperid's reaction, satisfied that she had indeed made the right choice to appoint the girl as her right hand.

The goddess inclined her head acceptingly, _"As you wish."_

"_A moment, My Lady,"_said Zoe as she walked over to where Riptide lay. She bent down and picked up the sword, running her finger along the length of the blade's edge. It shimmered and morphed back into her hairclip. A note of regret washed over her proud features. "_I wished to give this token to help a hero of true virtue.__I was__deceived__and unable to do so. I will not allow that mistake to go unchecked."_

Artemis approached Zoe and extended her hand. "_May I?_" Zoe handed the clip to the goddess. "_Perhaps your wish shall one day be granted. I shall place this in Chiron's trust. Some day, he may choose a hero who is truly worthy of wielding it. Does this please you, my child?"_

Zoe smiled. "_Yes, my lady. Very much so._"

Artemis nodded. "_I am glad. Now come, let us return. It displeases me to stay in this place any longer._"

"_Of course, my lady_," said Zoe, dipping her head and following behind Artemis as she turned and strode out of the square.

The goddess paused on the edge of the square one last time to regard that spot in the air, her brow creasing into a frown for just a second. She was positive she had sensed what appeared to be a Hunter, which was impossible considering all the other Hunters were still at her temple on Mount Olympus. And there was something else... something that _felt_ like a Hunter, but was different in some way. Her hand unconsciously went to touch her lower abdomen as she remembered that strange feeling; a sensation she would feel on a few brief occasions throughout the next few thousand years before she finally discovered its source. It had been a strange feeling indeed; something nagging just on the edge of her consciousness, something she couldn't quite put her divine finger on...

-A-

_I can feel it. We're closing in._

I kept my focus clear, my head filled with nothing but my goal, my resolution to succeed.

_Yes, like that. And...THERE!_

My eyes flung open and I found myself standing up, slightly off balance, in a warm and slightly humid narrow alleyway. I shook my head to clear the buzzing sensation tingling through me.

There was a shimmering in the air to my left and right and, with a ripple of distorting air, Percy and Aren materialized. Both staggered slightly, looking startled.

Percy patted himself down whilst Aren gave herself a quick once-over.

Percy inclined his head, "Well that was a bit more..._smooth_ than before."

I looked about our surroundings. "I guess it was a bit more stable due to the lack of wandering thoughts this time."

"So is this it?" asked Aren as she looked about the passage we had appeared in. "Are we..._there?_"

I continued studying the large brown stone buildings about us. Their dark stone windows were without any kind of glass and washing lines crisscrossed between the structures, robes dangling on them to dry.

Clearly we were still far in the past. It was still hot and seemingly almost tropical though, so wherever we were we were obviously still in a country with a much warmer climate than New York.

I sniffed the air. There wasn't much in the way of unpleasantness, so wherever we were they must've prided themselves on the miracle that was indoor plumbing. Burn, Aren… There were also the lingering scents of spices and fruits on the air, and not a hint of any fumes or toxins that one may associate with a civilization that relies on burning fossil fuels.

"I... I think so," I replied uncertainly, answering Aren's query after a long pause.

A man in a long red toga turned into the alley, striding past us and disappearing down the other end. He didn't pause to stop, though he did glance back at us with a slightly bewildered stare.

I glanced off in the direction he went. "He looked twice..."

Percy blinked. "Come again?"

I nodded ahead in the direction the man had gone, "We're supposed to be keeping a low profile, so when people do spare us a second glance we must be doing something wrong."

Aren glanced down at herself. "You think we've gone out of fashion?"

I nodded. "I can't tell much of a difference, but obviously the eye of the locals must be slightly more attuned."

Aren nodded. "I agree. We've only seen one person and he thought we looked odd."

"If possible, I'd like one guy spending a second's thought later in the day to wonder about the three weirdly dressed kids in the alleyway to be the pinnacle of our interference in this time," I said.

"So what do you suggest?" asked Aren.

I blew a breath out and rubbed my chin in thought. "I'm not sure. We have a few drachma between us, so I _suppose_ we could buy some clothes. Though that'd still mean hunting round for a market."

"_Or..._" Percy chimed in.

"Or what?" asked Aren.

Percy smiled and tugged down on a gown folded over one of the lower washing lines.

I scowled. "_No_. We're not stealing clothes. My mom's still on my back about the last time I took something without asking."

Percy frowned. "You stole the _crown jewels_! There's a slight difference here."

"_Jewel._And I gave it back! At least I _hope_ it was given back, I left that task in the hands of someone with slightly dubious morals..."

Percy sighed. "If it makes you feel better, they can have the ones we're wearing and we'll toss a drachma into the window."

I nodded reluctantly. "Okay, let's see if we can find something that fits..."

"Wait!" butted in Aren angrily.

Percy groaned. "What now?" he asked, holding up a dark blue toga against him that seemed to be about his size.

Aren glanced about herself. "W-what about..."

"About what?" I asked, dragging down a nondescript brown number that seemed about right.

"Where do we change?" she asked in a whisper, as if afraid someone would hear.

I frowned and glanced about. "There's a little alcove there. It should be enough to stop anyone passing the alley from seeing you out the corner of their eye, unless you expect me to set up a tent in an alleyway, of course."

She blushed. "W-what about..." she trailed off and then settled on stabbing a finger at Percy.

Percy's eyes went wide. "What about me? I won't peek!"

Aren grumbled and grabbed a white cotton gown that seemed approximately her size, glancing witheringly over her shoulder. "I swear, _one glance_, and I'll stick my dagger in you."

Percy sighed and turned his back with me on the alcove. "You have my-"

"-In your lower back!" cut in Aren as I heard her began changing as swiftly as possible.

Percy swallowed the next word in his mouth and began rigidly studying the opposite wall.

I leaned in. "What'd she mean by that?"

"_Nothing,_" squeaked Percy suddenly. "Nothing at all."

"Yeah, _right_..." muttered Aren over the sound of ruffling clothes.

I leaned back into his ear. "Between you and me," I whispered, "I _still_ don't really get this whole modesty thing."

Percy glanced at me. "_Seriously?_" he whispered back.

I shrugged. "Really."

"So are you trying to tell me, when you see girls, you don't feel…y'know..._attracted?"_

I glanced to the side in thought. "Hmm, no, not really. With one exception, maybe..."

Percy nodded. "Okay, let's do a test. Try thinking about," he paused to flick his eyes to the side, which was as far as he'd dare glance in Aren's direction, "as she is now."

I chewed my lip in thought and, interestingly, felt a familiar warmth in my cheeks. "Huh... well I'll be darned."

Percy nodded. "So _now_ do you get it?"

I frowned. "...No...sorry."

He sighed. "You're hopeless."

I nodded, "Yeah, I get that a lot."

"Done," Aren announced, striding out and tossing her clothes over the line above. She looked herself up and down. Her outfit was still fetching, if a tad more modest than the one before.

I nodded. "Looking good."

She inclined her head.

"And with your honor intact," said Percy with a sigh.

Both Percy and I swiftly changed, with Aren standing half-way down the alley lest she catch sight of a male in any partial state of undress, and a moment later we were all changed and ready to go.

Percy flicked a single golden drachma into the window of whom we hoped owned the clothes.

We turned to go but were startled as a confused man stuck his head out of aforementioned window.

"Guys, I think we just got rumbled." I said tensely as the man's eyes glanced at his washing line and the foreign clothes that now lay there. He then caught sight of us. He opened his mouth to speak and I prepared to run, when suddenly he seemed to catch the glint of the coin he held in his hand. He turned fully to regard it and then us again.

Percy suddenly pointed at all three of us and our clothes, then at the coin and finally at the man.

The man looked back at the coin and, after biting it between his teeth, looked back at Percy and inclined his head with a wide smile. His head quickly disappeared back into his window, no doubt eager to rush off and spend his newly acquired gold.

Percy turned back to us and Aren nodded acceptingly. "Nicely handled."

Percy grinned. "What can I say; I'm a man of the people."

I beckoned towards the end of the alley leading into a sunlit opening. "Shall we?"

-A-

We emerged into the sunlight and a bustling square. Stalls had been set up and lined the edges as the merchants excitedly beckoned to their wares, selling everything from fabrics to food and many strange things in between.

"It appears to be market day," I said as we drifted into the middle of the square where a large sundial stood on an elevated podium. The floor, despite its heavy use, was covered with polished, glistening white marble.

"Where do you suppose we should begin?" asked Aren.

"I think we need a map," said Percy. "It'll be better than going up to someone and asking 'excuse me, but would you mind telling me what city we're in?'"

I nodded. "Agreed. Just mingle and drift along the stalls until we find what we're after."

It took a while to peruse the different stalls, each of us keeping our heads down and just sparing each person's wares with a passing glance.

Eventually we did come across a table being manned a proud looking keeper whose stall was covered in rolled up scrolls and seemed to be in the process of excitedly haggling with a customer. By the time he reached him the customer had left with a small pile of scrolls and the teller was happily counting away his acquired coinage.

He glanced up as we approached and slipped the coins into a pouch on his belt. His face immediately took on a friendly and welcoming smile which made him look for all the world like an oddly dressed car salesman.

"_Hail,__citizens, and what may I interest you in today?_"

I hid the look of shock on my face and Aren and Percy both looked at me, and then each other, each as startled as I was. As the man had spoken I had felt a little light headed and confused for a split second, and I suddenly realized why: he wasn't speaking Ancient Greek, but another language that was also coded somewhere buried into the back of my mind. It wasn't as clear as the fluent Ancient Greek we had heard earlier. In fact it was like listening to someone speaking a language you were familiar with only in a very strong accent. And somewhere in my core I knew exactly what language the man had spoken.

_He's speaking Latin..._

A tiny frown crossed the man's face, although his professional smile didn't budge.

I blinked and shook my head, "_Y-yes... M-map? You sell maps, yes?"_ I asked, the words coming out more easily as I spoke them, like a switch was slowly being flicked inside my head.

The man chortled. "_Well I wouldn't be much of a cartographer if I__didn't, now would I? Well what can I offer you? Do you seek adventure? I__possess__maps of faraway lands containing treasures and exotic beauties to__titillate__even the sternest of senses, charts of oceans__whose__secrets one can only dream at, diagrams-"_

I raised my hand to gently cut off his sales pitch, _"Just a map of the city will do. We're...new here and don't quite know our way around."_

The man's face fell slightly and he sighed, "_Well, if that's all you're after, then I have just the thing."_

He reached to one of the newer-looking scrolls and handed it to me. I glanced at the tag dangling from it. It had the numerals IV followed by a currency symbol I didn't recognize.

I sighed and reached into my back pocket and dropped a golden drachma in his outstretched hand. It was probably worth a thousand times the man's more than likely mostly fraudulent stock, but it was all I had that didn't have a picture on it of someone who wouldn't be born for centuries.

The man's frown turned into an open gape and he swiftly held the coin up, examining it for forgery and chewing it softly as many seem to do to test gold's validity. I nodded my head, "_keep the change."_ I said dismissively and we turned to leave when his hand suddenly shot out and grabbed me by the shoulder.

"_Wait! I knew not that you were travelers of such...wealth. Here,"_ he said and took back the map he had given us and reached under the table and handed us another that looked almost identical. "_It has a few...additions, which I only let my special customers know of."_

I glanced warily at the map and the man who smiled warmly back. I nodded once appreciatively, raising the map in salute before turning and walking off.

"What do you suppose he meant by that?" asked Aren, glancing at the scroll in my hand.

I cocked my head, "I don't know, and for some reason I get the feeling I really don't want to."

"Right, guys, let's find a shaded spot to get our bearings." said Percy.

We followed behind the son of Poseidon as we left the square and followed a few nondescript streets between some more stone buildings until we came to a hilly incline overlooking part of the cityscape.

Aren and I immediately crouched down and untied the map, unfurling it out before us. "Guys!" said Percy suddenly and Aren stood up. I, however had my eyes locked on the map, and the large word scrawled in the top left corner.

_Well, that explains a lot._

I glanced up, half-expecting the sight that lay before us, but it was still a fantastic thing to behold.

Percy and Aren were staring open-mouthed at the large city that was sprawled out before us, but there was one landmark that gave away our location.

Not far off, looking as new as the day it was built, was the Circus Maximus, arguably the oldest and most famous racetrack in history.

My eyes took in the amazing sight of what was currently the most magnificent city in the world. I couldn't help but breathe out in disbelief the modern translation for the word _Roma, _which was scribed on the map which hung limply in my hands.

"Rome..."

_To be continued…_


	7. Chapter 7: The Temple of Veritas

**The Lost Prince**

**Chapter 7: The Temple of Veritas**

We stood in awe of the cityscape below us. For an ancient city it truly was a marvel to behold.

_Congratulations. You've made it._

I blinked in surprise.

_Come again?_

_To your destination. Not long now..._

I kept my face as stoic as possible as a tinge of suspicion flashed through me.

_I know it's an odd thing to ask one's instinct, but is there something you're not telling me?_

_There are many things I do not tell you. How will the cub learn if he relies on the Alpha to do everything for him?_

I couldn't keep a scowl from my face.

_Oh, and you're the Alpha in this relationship, are you?_

_At times._

_I refuse to argue with you-_

_-That would make a refreshing change,_butted in the voice, as annoying as always.

I gritted my teeth._ As I was _saying_; I refuse to argue with you, but am I correct in thinking that you know exactly what I'm going to find?_

_...Not exactly. But I have a very good...feeling. However I'm afraid that this time you must be on your own. I will help if necessary, but know this: there is a reason Lady Artemis withheld information from you._

I shook my head. My instinct was being as magnificently forthcoming as was normal, but it would never withhold information if doing so would put me in danger; I supposed I would just have to have faith in both it and my mother.

Percy shook his head in bemusement. "So where do you think we should start?"

"I suppose we'd best begin by getting our bearings," said Aren as she unfolded the map and spread it out on the earth before us. She glanced up at the Circus Maximus. "And thanks to that honking great landmark there…" She paused to regard the map a second before stabbing her finger down on a vague representation of the race course below. "That would put us _here;_District Thirteen, next to the lesser marketplace."

Percy and I crouched down and examined the map. It was a half-decent representation of the city, quite artistically drawn, with a standard grid layout. The city appeared to be split into various districts, each in its own square with a key in the top right corner.

The map was quite uniform in its writing style; however, there were words in a much less fine text scrawled haphazardly over certain nondescript buildings.

Aren frowned. "What's with all the scribbles?"

I leaned in closer. "It would appear that our friend the cartographer has been making notes..."

"Does it look promising? Like, 'this way to the Child of Troizenos, free entry on Saturdays'. Anything like that?" asked Percy.

I shook my head. "I wish... Let's take a look." I squinted at some of the man's scrawls.

Aren scowled. "What's this one say? Gods, his handwriting's terrible."

I frowned. "I _think_that one says…The Palace of Eternal Pleasures?" Aren gasped slightly, and I read off another nearby addition. "This one is...The House of Opium. And _this _oneis...hmmm...The Temple of a Thousand Maidens." I cocked my head. "You know, given the context, I do believe that to be at contradiction in terms."

Aren blanched. "By Artemis, that's disgusting! What sort of people are these?"

I shrugged and sighed. "Welcome to Ancient Rome. However, I suggest we ignore our salesman friend's sightseeing recommendations and stick to the actual map. Unless, of course, you think the...Bathhouse of Eternal Debauchery is a good place to start."

Aren glared at me. "I think we can skip that," said the Huntress in an icy voice.

I smiled apologetically and looked back at the map. "But in all seriousness, where to begin?" I mumbled, glancing up at the city and listening to the sound of the wild, trying to sense anything close. "Hmm, that's interesting."

"Armani?" asked Aren.

My eyes narrowed. "I can't sense any other Hunters besides you. Nor can I sense my mother anywhere nearby. I suppose they're probably out on the Hunt right now."

"I'm not surprised," said Aren. "Considering some of the..._things_ going on in this city, I'm shocked Lady Artemis ever-"

"-_However_," I said, cutting her off gently.

Aren paused. "You feel something?"

I shook my head slowly, looking off into the distance. "I'm not sure... There's _something_here, but I don't know what. It's barely there, like a background echo. I can't even tell what direction it's coming from, only that there's _definitely_ something here."

Percy nodded. "So at least we're not at a complete dead end."

"Where do you think we should start?" asked Aren.

"Should we look for Olympus?" suggested Percy. "Wherever it is..."

I shook my head slowly. "No... Whatever it is that we're looking for is definitely out there in the city somewhere. If it were on Olympus then I'm not sure I'd be able to sense it at all."

"What about here?" said Aren, pointing at the lower east section of the map.

I looked down. "District Forty-Seven…" I paused to look at the corresponding list in the corner. "_Temple District_," I read, looking down at the map. It was nestled between the main Financial and Government districts. Obviously they took their worship of the gods seriously in this time period.

Percy nodded. "Sounds like a good place to start. I mean, if it's not on Olympus, that seems like the next best place."

I nodded also. "I agree, good plan."

-A-

I took quite a while to walk through the winding streets of the ancient capital. Unlike the more important districts, the buildings here were mostly wooden. This also told me the mad Nero hadn't been in power yet. A great fire would destroy most of the city during his reign, which would in turn be rebuilt in the splendor that it's famous for, a rebuild that would nearly bankrupt an empire.

"So what time do you think we're in?" asked Percy, breaking the silence that had fallen between us.

Aren looked around, as if searching for anything that could give it away. "I'm not sure. I can't see any Roman equivalent to a newspaper stand, or any kind of public calendar. We could be at any time."

I shook my head. "Hmm…no, we're definitely at some point before the first century AD. I can't narrow it down any further than that, unfortunately."

"How do you figure?" asked Percy.

I shrugged. "The Coliseum was missing, and that won't turn up until the second half of the first century. There are a lot of wooden buildings, so the Great Fire of Rome hasn't happened yet. Therefore we could be anywhere before 64 AD."

Percy still looked confused. "How do you know all that?"

I shook my head. "With the exception of when his lordship was about, I was pretty much under complete house arrest while growing up. I had little else to do to whittle away the long hours _except_ study."

"That must've been _horrible,_" said Aren. "Even Hunters hate being cooped up indoors for very long and, I mean, you're a _child of Artemis._ How did you cope with being..._caged_ for so long?"

I stopped and smiled at Aren, though I doubt it reached my eyes. With a hint of sadness and more than a touch of bitter irony, I said, "Who says I did?"

I turned back, and we carried on in quite a solemn silence. It was a silence that Percy chose to break, obviously trying to lighten my mood. "_So..._If we're before that time, who's Emperor?"

A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth, glad for the change of subject. "Sorry, there was no Emperor during this time period. At the moment I'm guessing we're smack dab in the middle of the Roman Republic, which was lead by a senate."

Percy frowned. "Huh," he said, "So who was actually in charge, you know; the head honcho?"

"Well there was normally a Consul, who was the highest level of _elected_official in the Republic, although the _actual-_"

"-So just as dull as modern politics then?" butted in Percy.

I held my mouth open, thinking of a response, and then sighed, "Pretty much. Though in answer to your question, there was often a Dictator around this period. It has a different meaning to the modern definition of the word, but you could call him the 'head honcho', although it was more a temporary office. The first man to ever make himself Dictator for life could be interpreted as being close to the status of first emperor."

Percy nodded. "Dictator, huh?"

I nodded, "It was around this time that what you could _sort of_ say the Empire itself began to take off, especially as things became more and more totalitarian and militaristic. For all we know we _could be_in that transitional period."

"And is that a good or a bad thing?" asked Aren.

I shrugged. "Depends on exactly what point in history we've arrived at. Either way it's best we keep a seriously low profile this time around."

Aren sighed. "Yes, because we were _so_ good at that the last few times."

-A-

It took a while to weave our way through the various districts.

Once we left the market district it had been mostly residential areas that we were forced to navigate. Most of the outer housing areas were dark and crammed as the city expanded within its walls. It would be this increasing overcrowding that would contribute to the swift, deadly spread of the fire that would someday ravish the great city.

Most of the streets, with few exceptions, had a soldier of some form on guard.

Percy eyed a pair of soldiers as we passed them. "They sure take their security seriously around here. New York could learn a thing or two from these guys."

I smiled weakly. "One of the biggest changes around this time was reforms in the Roman military. Before, you had to be someone important or own a certain amount of land to even qualify for the army. You even had to provide your own weapons. Then the reforms kicked in, people were head counted, military service was offered to all and weapons were provided by the state."

"What, and people just flocked to join the army?" asked Aren with a raised eyebrow.

I shrugged and eyed a centurion talking to a street vendor. "Many who worked out in the country were poor, with no land or chance to make anything of themselves. Suddenly they were offered freely what was always thought of as a privileged service, with the chance to earn spoils of battle on top of regular pay. It was quite revolutionary. And so men flocked to service in their droves."

Percy said, "Let me guess. The army grew big enough for Rome to take anything they wanted."

I nodded. "It's one of the things that lead to it becoming an even more militaristic state, and one of the most powerful in history on top of that."

"Is this it?" asked Aren, halting the conversation.

I glanced around as I turned the corner behind her. The transformation from the previous street to this one was striking. Once more the floors were a gleaming polished marble, only now it spread up and around, it seemed to be the material every single building was now constructed of.

The street seemed to come to a kind of outpost where the gleaming streets began after a yellowed stone arch.

"Hold it," said Percy, "Problem." He nodded ahead and we stopped.

In front of the arch were several troops in gleaming armor standing at strict attention. I noticed none of the other people were making an attempt to enter; they were simply walking on by, giving the soldiers a respectful amount of space.

Aren glanced down at the map and back ahead. "This is definitely it."

I frowned. "Come on," I said, glancing at the map and taking a left down another street, "We'll just enter the district by a different entrance."

This was easier said than done, as most of the main entries to district forty-seven were guarded by either a pair of troops or more.

I scowled. "Why would it be guarded?"

"Maybe the commoners aren't allowed in."

I shook my head. "No, there weren't restrictions on such things. They were superstitious enough not to risk angering the gods by preventing the masses from worshipping them."

"What about the other districts?" Percy asked.

I looked at the map. "I suppose we could try entering from the parliamentary district or financial areas, but it's going to take a while to work our way around to them. That is, assuming all the guards are only there to stop the _masses_ coming in by closing off a few entrances, and not locking it down altogether."

"You think we should wait until night?" asked Percy.

I frowned. "I'd really rather take a quick glance inside and see what we can find rather than risk staying longer than we have to. If we're caught we can simply feign ignorance and say we strolled in via an unguarded entrance."

Percy frowned. "You really think that'll work? Just walking in and strolling about like we own the place?"

I smiled. "It's an old trick, but who knows, maybe it's a new one here. Either way it's better than hanging about doing nothing and risking more contamination to the past than necessary."

"Hey!" hissed Aren, and we turned about to see her hand sticking from a gap between two buildings that was little more than a foot wide. "Through here."

Percy and I shuffled closer, obscuring the view from any of the onlookers. "What is it?" I muttered over my shoulder, barely able to see Aren peering down the space.

"It looks like it runs clear through the building. I think it's big enough to squeeze through," she said as she began to shuffle sideways.

Percy inclined his head and moved in behind me to give me some cover. "After you."

I slid into the gap and began following after Aren. "Let's just hope we don't get stuck, because the gods know I won't be able to talk us out of it."

"Ever the optimist, Armani," sighed Aren as she stepped over some long discarded trash.

"I'm merely the realist. _And,_" I grunted, squeezing about a protruding pipe between the buildings, "I find it highly unrealistic that we'd have a plausible explanation for sneaking into what appears to be a sealed off district."

"Oh I dunno," said Percy, "I'm sure we could make something up. Like 'We're so sorry, my friend here lost her puppy and we were just looking for it. Now if you could just grease us up and pull us out then we'll be on our way'."

"You have a strange brain, my friend," I said with a grunt as my knee scraped off an uneven brick.

"This brain has saved me more times than I can remember."

"Uh-huh. And how many of those times have you talked yourself out of anything?" I asked as Aren slid out the other side and into the street.

"None...but there's always a first time," said Percy as we emerged into a street of such gleaming marble that I had to narrow my eyes from the glare.

Percy held his hand up in front of his eyes. "What is up with these people and marble?"

"It's a sign of respect to the gods, and also one of power and wealth," I said as I glanced wearily about.

Percy regarded a prominent statue that was obviously his father, trident in hand. "Ever wonder why they went back to Greek?"

"What do you mean?" I asked as I regarded the map again for a second.

"You know, they were Roman, but by the time it gets to the twenty-first century they're Greek again. Why do you think that is?"

I shrugged. "Does it matter?"

Percy sighed. "I guess not. I just thought the difference between the Greek and Roman versions was kind of interesting."

I folded the map up and slipped it away in my pocket. "I wouldn't worry about it. I mean, it's not like it'll ever come up."

"I guess..."

"There's not many people around," muttered Aren, her eyes flicking about as she reflexively analyzed her surroundings for threats.

I nodded silently in agreement. She was right; the area was mostly deserted, with the exception of a few well-dressed dignitaries mulling about by themselves or in groups of two.

"It would appear the select few wish to worship in private," I observed.

"Check it out," said Percy, nodding at the end of the street where this road's row of temples ended and what the map referred to as the financial district began. "There's no guards there."

I smirked. "Of course not. Fully closing off the district would be disrespectful. I suspect none of the common folk would bother coming all the way round just to worship. I'm guessing the guards on the other side are more to _discourage_mingling between the lower and upper castes."

Percy looked at me. "You almost sound fascinated by all this history stuff."

I couldn't help but smile back. "I know. _Depressing_, isn't it?"

Aren nodded. "I say we split up. We can cover more ground that way. We keep to ourselves and just glance about. _Nothing more,_" she finished sternly.

I inclined my head. "I agree. It's been implied we'll know what we're looking for when we find it. So long as we act casual and don't interact with anybody then I'm sure we'll be fine."

A road lead off the street we were on about half-way down; there was another junction up at the very end.

I inclined my head at the first road. "I'll check down there. You two split up at the junction." The others nodded and began to walk off. "And Aren..."

She paused. "What is it?"

"I don't think I need to say this, but avoid the temple of Diana if at all possible."

Aren nodded silently and Percy frowned in confusion. "Who?"

Aren scowled slightly. "Lady Artemis. Her Roman form was that of Lady Diana."

Percy blinked. "Oh, right, I got it. I guess I'd better stay away from Neptune's then," he said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder at his father's statue.

I smiled. "That would be wise. Right, scout about and meet back here in about half an hour, okay?"

The others nodded and I watched until they vanished at the junction.

"_Well..._ Here goes nothing," I said with a nervous sigh and began glancing through the entryways of the temples on the street I was on. After finding nothing but a few priestesses in the temple of Mercury and the others mostly empty at the moment, I turned onto the next road.

I weaved about an ornately dressed woman who had her arm entwined about that of a man clad in fine silk robes. I nodded curtly as I passed; both pair of eyes flicked to me for the briefest split-second before turning back ahead as if I didn't even exist.

_I suppose I'm unworthy of their attention._

_Which is a good thing, remember._

I sighed. _It's still rude, though..._

_Welcome to Rome._

-PJ-

I wasn't exactly sure what I was supposed to be looking for, so I just kept walking around, taking in the sights and leaning in the occasional doorway, hoping at some point for someone to just leap out and say, '_Hey there, I'm the lost child of Troizenos, can you please direct me to the nearest sundial?'_

It was creepily quiet. Like that quiet you can almost hear when you're in a library or a church. Only the guys in clothes more expensive than mine seemed to dare to even mutter to each other.

I passed by a large temple, much bigger than the others, so much so it blocked out the light and left the two temples on the opposite side of the street in shadow. It was the size of a half decent cathedral and had a large statue outside it.

I bent down and read off the Latin inscription that circled the base.

"_Jupiter... King of the gods._"

I stood up and regarded the bearded guy, who at least wasn't doing anything showy like brandishing a bolt of lightning. If he hadn't been made of bronze, he would have looked just like any other Roman soldier.

As I turned, my Nike trainers squeaking quite annoyingly on the marble, I heard something. A sound that cut cleanly across the silence that blanketed the whole street.

Someone was _whistling..._

-?-

Aren would always have described herself as a patient sort. She'd learned that virtue well in her three centuries of life. However, wandering through time, and now through the streets of a foreign city, with no idea _what_ she was looking for, was a little bit taxing on her nerves.

It wasn't like hunting. Hunting was a far simpler equation: rabbit plus bow equals dinner. _That_ she could handle. Finding a person, assuming it was indeed a person, whom she had no clue as to the identity of, was a bit more vexing.

She gritted her teeth as she weaved past a statue of Venus, who was smiling patronizingly down at her. '_It's almost like she knows_ _what I'm going through and is just _soaking_it up...'_thought the Huntress sourly as she turned sharply away from it and onto another street. Suddenly she sighted Percy, who was currently leaning back against a tall statue with a contemplative frown on his face, his arms crossed in front of him as if dwelling on some great puzzle.

She considered continuing her own search. However, something in the demigod's stare had her drifting curiously towards him.

"Percy?" asked Aren quietly as she approached. He made no reply. "Percy, what is it?" she asked slightly louder.

"Shh," he said quickly, raising a hand to silence her. "Can you hear that, or am I just going crazy?"

She bit back a sarcastic retort and sighed. Her power as a Hunter granted slightly elevated senses, so she could easily pick up the sound. She frowned in confusion. "You mean the whistling?"

Percy nodded.

Aren scowled. "Percy, I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that even back in ancient Rome people knew how to whistle."

"But _listen,"_ said the demigod insistently.

She rolled her eyes and sighed again, listening intently. "It's a little out of tune. What, you want me to go in there and stab whoever's causing the noise pollution?"

"No, I'd like you to tell me how someone from thousands of years in the past is whistling _Bon Jovi_."

Aren blinked in surprise, then went silent, her brow creasing slightly. "Bon-what?"

Percy gaped at her for a moment. "You're joking, right?"

Aren scowled darkly in response.

Percy paled slightly. "Not a music lover, huh?"

"It's not something I consider important, no."

The son of Poseidon coughed nervously. "_Anyway._I think this could be important. You go fetch Armani and I'll keep watch out here."

Aren inclined her head and left to find her fellow Hunter.

To Percy's credit, he did manage to wait an entire thirty seconds before his curiosity got the best of him and he began edging away from the statue of Jupiter he was leaning against and shuffling slowly towards the smaller temple opposite.

_Swish, swish_.

The noise echoed out through the darkness. The stranger, who was now humming a Madonna ballad, seemed to be using it to time his music.

Percy glanced behind and around himself guiltily. He crept slowly around one of the pillars at the entryway and began edging with his back flat against the wall until he could see into the main temple area.

Percy's eyes took in what lay before him. It wasn't very surprising; basic Roman architectural design (which he personally couldn't differentiate that much from Greek, not that he'd ever admit that in front of Annabeth), lots of marble.

The room was slightly dim due to the lack of natural light with the roof supported by rows of pillars and a couple of doors presumably leading to antechambers. And at the back of the room, in front of a large mural of various figures in the midst of some kind of celebration, was a large marble throne-like chair.

On the arm of the chair, strangely enough, was what appeared to be a ginger and white cat. It was curled up, sleeping contentedly in that way cats seem to be able to do at the drop of a hat, its soft purring adding a soft ambient undertone to the humming in the air.

Percy leaned suddenly back into hiding as a figure emerged from behind some of the columns. The demigod leaned slowly forwards to peer back into the room.

The humming appeared to be coming from a tall young man who was methodically sweeping the floor in long, perfectly even strokes.

Percy had begun to develop an eye for small things that are out of place in their surroundings (be it a hamster cage, some oddly lifelike statues or a kindly old woman) and though he couldn't be certain, the brush the man was using appeared to be of quite modern design. It was almost like something you'd pick up new off the shelf at Wal-Mart.

_Modern brush, humming music from the future; I think we may have found ourselves a winner._

Percy observed the young man go about his work. He appeared several years older than he was; in his early to mid-twenties at best guess. He had long, chocolate-brown hair that was knotted into a loose ponytail.

Percy suddenly realized with a start that he was hiding again, and wasn't entirely sure _why_.

With a sigh, he strode out of concealment and into the room as confidently, and in as nonchalant a way as possible. _Right, Percy, you're just an average Roman, out on a stroll and stopping by to pay your respects to the gods. Stay cool._

Percy was about to address the man when an idea suddenly occurred to him. He focused and pushed past the instinct to speak in Latin, addressing the man in clear English. "Hey there. Lovely day, isn't it?" Percy winced as soon as it came out. It was lame, but he was trying to be as casual as possible.

The man suddenly tensed up rigidly mid-stroke; one of his hands went to the side of his head as if suddenly disorientated.

The hand went back to the brush and gripped it tightly as the man's head arched around slightly to regard the newcomer.

Percy stopped hesitantly as the man shot him a glare out of the corner of his eye.

The man's grey eyes studied him for a moment, his sharp and somehow proud features totally impassive; the only emotion on his face was an odd sort of guardedness which Percy didn't catch.

Percy pointed a finger at him in realization. "You understood me, didn't you? I mean, you understand English, right?"

The man's brow twitched ever so slightly at Percy's words but still he remained dead silent, frozen to the spot.

Percy continued carefully. "Do you speak English? Or did someone teach it to you? And what you were humming..." Percy trailed off as the man continued staring wordlessly at him. The demigod shook his head and smiled reassuringly. "Sorry, I forgot to even introduce myself," he began, approaching slowly to offer his hand, the man's eyes narrowing slightly. "My name's-"

Percy didn't get to finish. As the man suddenly twisted the top of his broom handle around, there was a light clicking sound and a flash of light as he drew a sword from it, swinging straight into a wide slashing arc at Percy. It was a blow that would've separated him from his outstretched hand had it not been indestructible.

"Whoa there!" Percy yelped, backpedalling as the man swung about to face him. He spun his thin blade around into a readied stance with methodical grace. "I don't see why- whoops!" Percy ducked again as the man lunged forward, his eyes oddly vacant but filled with intent.

Percy drew Riptide on reflex just as the man slashed at him again.

He pushed down on Percy's sword with his own, lowering the angle of his guard and then parried around on his heel into a perfect roundhouse kick that sent the son of Poseidon stumbling backwards several paces.

The man landed and sprung around into the air in a twirl, stabbing at Percy several times in mid-air, the demigod barely managing to parry them as his opponent landed and sprung forward with his sword point aimed at his chest.

Though it wouldn't injure him, Percy dodged to the side instinctively and backed up until he had stepped up onto the large chair, back to the wall, effectively keeping himself completely invulnerable. He raised his sword defensively.

The man paused and began a slow semi-circle about him, his blade changing from hand to hand as he walked back and forth, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Percy's eyes stayed locked with his. His combat training allowed him to analyze his opponent to quite an extensive degree.

_He's ambidextrous. He's not particularly strong and he hasn't used any special powers._

Despite all of this, it took Percy a moment to put his finger on what it was about the man's style that was odd.

_He's just...good. Insanely good. That's all it is. I've never fought anyone quite like this. His fighting isn't like any of the guys at camp, it's not bolstered by any special powers, and it's not combined with that mindless instinctive way Armani fights...It's pure skill. I don't know how long this guy has been practicing, but I'm guessing it's a lot longer than I have._

"Why are you doing this?" said Percy as he sensed the man about to strike. He didn't respond. His face was totally blank, as if he were locked in some kind of trance.

The man lunged forwards to attack, but before he could get more than a single step closer, a female voice sliced through the air and brought him to a dead standstill. "_Step away from the cat."_

Percy frowned and glanced around. _Did I just hear that?_

The man turned slightly about to reveal a silhouette in the doorway.

A girl dressed in deep purple robes stood there, her dark blue eyes burning into him. Her hair was black and tied into a long, thin braid, which coiled down around her side.

Her hand was resting on the hilt of a dagger attached to a rope about her waist.

She raised an eyebrow. "_Step away...from the cat,"_ she repeated slowly, an edge to her voice.

Percy blinked and glanced down to the arm of the throne at the animal in question.

It hadn't run off. In fact, all the cat had done was uncurl itself and sit up on its haunches. It seemed to be regarding Percy in an almost questioning manner, as if wondering if there was an important reason that it had been woken up.

It took Percy another second to realize he had been holding his sword with the point a few inches away from the cat's face, "Oh! Right," he said quickly, staggering down from the throne and moving safely to the far corner, keeping as much distance as he could from the man who still stood in the centre of the room.

Percy's eyes flicked back and forth. The girl, obviously satisfied, took her hand from the dagger and clasped it behind her back. She sighed tiredly and took a few steps into the room.

She paused and looked at the man, as if only just noticing something amiss. "_What are you doing?"_

The man clenched his eyes closed and rubbed his brow in confusion. He shook his head and blinked his eyes a few times. "_I... I'm not sure, Mistress,"_he said, his face clearing as he bent down to pick up the bottom section of his brush and slid his blade back into place. "_I was cleaning... and then I heard... I heard a voice."_ He turned about to face Percy. "_It was him, the stranger. He... he spoke the alien tongue. The one I knew from before, and then... and then I... I don't remember, suddenly you were there, Mistress."_

"_You attacked me is what you did,"_snapped Percy accusingly, switching back to Latin.

The girl's eyes went from Percy and back to the man, as if pondering the issue, seeming all the while totally calm and impassive over it.

Percy strode carefully from the corner and to the side of the room so he could keep both in his field of vision.

She said nothing, simply strolled towards the throne at the back of the room. Her walk was slow and she seemed to sway like a prowling animal, a pace mirrored almost identically by the black cat that Percy suddenly noticed was shadowing close behind her.

The cat on the throne's arm _mrrow'd_ happily as the girl turned about and sat slowly down, the cat behind her hopping directly into her lap and curling up. The girl's hand seemed to move unconsciously towards the cat on the arm of the throne and stroke its chin, causing it to purr as it melted off the arm to the side of the girl's lap to nuzzle the black one, who _meowed_ happily in response, licking the top of his partner's head before both curled up and dozed off.

The girl kept her eyes on her two pets as she spoke. "_You really shouldn't be here. A high-ranking member of the government has come to show his respect to the gods, and all but select members of the senate and their families have been _asked_ to stay away."_

Percy shrugged. "_Well, you know, I just had an unstoppable urge to go show some reverence."_

Percy took a step back as the girl's eyes flicked instantly up from the cats and right at him. The black cat in her lap opened his eyes and hissed. "_You would dare speak deceit to me? In this place?"_ said the girl, her voice almost a hiss itself.

Percy shuffled nervously. "_Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, Miss... umm..."_

Her eyebrow peaked up again. _"You do not know me? Truly you are not from these parts, as I have surmised."_

"_No, ma'am. I'm from... a long way away."_

The girl's dark eyes narrowed at him, when another voice suddenly spoke up. It was soft, clearly female, and held an almost detached amusement. "_He's telling the truth; however, he is withholding it at the same time._"

Another voice spoke up, this one male, and held the same aloof tone as the female. "_This one amuses me. Shall we keep him too?_"

"_Gods above,"_ moaned the female voice. "_It's the kittens all over again! We can't keep every single-"_

"_Hush now, you two. What have I told you about talking in front of guests_?" said the girl sternly.

It took Percy a second to realize that the girl was talking to the pair of cats slouched on her throne. The ginger one was still curled up, its head resting on its paws, but was regarding him closely. The black was one sitting up slightly, and was now watching him, too.

Percy looked around. "_Who was that?_"

"_Who was who?_" enquired the male voice, and Percy suddenly realized that the speaker was in fact the cat in the girl's lap. Its mouth hadn't moved, but somehow Percy knew the voice had come from the animal.

Percy regarded the cat in silence for a second. "_Lady... I think your cat just talked."_

The girl sighed tiredly. "_Yes, he tends to do that... a lot."_She cocked her head_,_a tiny smile tugging on the corner of her lips. "_Does it surprise you?"_

Percy's frowned. "_It really shouldn't...but, yeah, kind of. Can I ask a question?"_

The girl nodded.

"_Why are your cats talking?"_

"_Such impudence,"_snapped the female cat, her ears twitching irritably.

The girl smirked. "_They are soothsayers of a kind; seers and speakers of all that is true."_

Percy looked guardedly at the animals. "_They're...cats."_

The girl cocked her head. "_Cats are very honest creatures. They have no need to give false loyalty, nor do they hold anything back."_

Percy nodded. "_That's very catlike..."_

Her hand drifted to pet the ginger tabby curled up by her left thigh. "_They were entrusted to me by my mother. They can be very handy when dealing with...stately affairs,"_she explained as she slipped her dagger free again and began peeling an apple she had pulled from somewhere in her robes.

Percy was about to speak again, as the girl seemed to be only partially caring that he was even there, when he noticed something about the blade. "_That knife; its celestial bronze." _The girl's hand froze. "_You're a half-blood, aren't you?"_

Both cats sat up and the girl set the apple down. The tomcat promptly batted it away like a ball of string. The girl's eyes studied Percy closely. "_Identify yourself. And I should warn you: it is impossible to lie to me._"

Percy took a hesitant step back and he sensed the man with the brush circle slowly to the back of the room, blocking the entryway.

He stepped to the side of the room; trying to lean casually and not give away he was protecting his weak spot from the sword-wielding psycho.

He looked nervously from one to the other, finally decided to try stalling for time. "_You first. Aren't I supposed to know who you are?"_

An amused smirk crossed the girl's face. "_I am the grand priestess of the Temple of Truth, named for my mother from the old country of the gods. It is also from that country that this dagger originated, celestial bronze is not heavily used among demigods in Rome."_

"_The old country? You mean...Greece?"_ The girl inclined her head. Percy thought for a moment, running through a mental list of the cabins at Camp Half-Blood. Incredibly, he hit on a piece of useful information. Remembering gratefully one of Annabeth's newest designs, which she's been telling him about just days before he left, he said, "_Then... That would make your mom Alatheia, Goddess of Truth, right?"_

The girl raised her head up proudly. "_I am Grand Priestess Theia. Now speak, stranger. What do you know of half-bloods? I sighted a Celestial Bronze blade in your hand before also if I am not mistaken."_

Percy considered what to say, remembering his oath and about doing his best not to alter history. "_It's...umm... really not all that much. Just this and that."_

"_He's a demigod,"_said the tomcat instantly.

"_A child of the big three,"_added the tabby immediately.

"_A son of Neptune, now that is interesting..."_commented the black cat in turn.

"_Hey!"_exclaimed Percy, flushing furiously and openly gaping at the pair of cats.

Theia smiled. "_Your mistruths_ _allow my friends to speak that which you would not. That is their power: to see the truth veiled behind every lie."_

Percy looked wearily at the two animals, suddenly very nervous.

"_Now who are you, Son of Neptune?"_asked Theia.

"_I'm pleading the fifth,"_ said Percy.

"_Well I'll be..."_muttered the black cat. "_That's the first truthful thing he's said since walking in."_

Theia didn't question what he meant by the term, but simply went on talking. _"Very well then, Salsus. Tell me: Why have you come here? What is your purpose for being in my temple?"_

Percy decided perhaps some honesty would help, when something occurred to him. "_Wait a minute, what did you call me?"_

"_Salsus_," replied Theia simply. "_It is your name."_

Percy frowned. "_Umm, no, it isn't."_

Theia nodded, unconcerned. "_It is now."_

Percy opened his mouth to offer a baffled objection when the tom cat spoke. "_Don't waste your breath. Trust me; it's not worth the tantrums to go against her on this..."_

Theia smirked. "_You tell him, Basium. Complexo, anything else?" _She asked, glancing at the ginger tabby.

Both cats _mrrow'd_ in discomfort. "_Despite the fact that you failed to guess his name, no."_

Percy sighed. "_I just came here because I was curious about him,"_said Percy, nodding at the man in the doorway.

"_He seeks the lost child of Troizenos,"_said the tabby in response.

"_Hey,"_snapped Percy, gaping at the cat. "_I didn't even lie there!"_

The ginger cat swished her tail. "_You claimed you were 'just' here because of your curiosity. That was a lie."_

"_Oh, come on. That barely counts!"_

The cat's eyes narrowed slightly, and if Percy didn't know better he'd have sworn the female cat was playing with him. _"Apparently it does."_

Theia leaned back in her throne, drumming her nails on the arm in thought. "_So, a stranger who speaks an alien tongue, a child of the big three, and is looking for...what was it again, Complexo?"_

The girl-cat growled slightly, but responded anyway, _"The child of Troizenos."_

"_Yes..._" mused Theia, "_What_is_that, Salsus?"_

Percy remained silent.

Theia smiled. "_As you wish. So then, tell me: what interests you about my servant?"_

Percy debated whether to answer or not, but realized this strange priestess was probably his best hope. "_First, can I ask_you_something?"_

Theia regarded him inquisitively for a second, and then inclined her head mutely.

"_Right, all I need to know is...where did you find him?"_ Percy asked, nodding at the man.

"_Who, Procius?" _Enquired Theia, glancing at the man in the doorway who still stood at attention, and held his broom like a soldier on parade would hold his rifle.

Percy sighed. "_Is that your real name, or one of her names?"_

The man spared Percy a glance, then his eyes fell to regard the floor. "_That is a name the Mistress gave me...but I have no other."_

Percy frowned. "_But how can that be? I mean, surely you have your own name. The one your parents gave you."_

The man's gaze didn't pull itself from the floor; he just shook his head slightly.

Theia spoke, though her cocky voice sounded softer now. "_The guards_ _found him wandering in the streets dressed in strange robes and with no memory of where he came from. We thought it possible he were a lost foreign dignitary, or at least a servant to one, and so our healers took a look at him but found nothing that could cure his ailment, and so finally he was brought before me to see if I could discover the truth in him."_

"_And did you?"_asked Percy.

Theia shook her head. "_No, he was totally blank. It did, however, turn out he was quite good with a brush, and so I offered him shelter in our temple until his mind returned to him."_

Procius bowed his head slightly. "_For which I am eternally grateful, Mistress."_

"_And that brush-sword thing; did he have that with him?"_

Theia nodded. "_We assumed he either found it or it was his. The guards found it difficult to subdue him when it was revealed as a weapon. Its design led us to believe him to be guard to someone important. Is it important?"_

"_It could be,"_ said Percy thoughtfully.

Theia regarded Percy. "_I have answered your query, now-"_

The priestess was suddenly cut off when a shrill and enraged female voice bellowed from outside and echoed throughout the temple. "_THEIA!_"

Theia didn't even flinch. Complexo sighed and looked up at the priestess. "_Please tell me you haven't been in her temple again."_

Basium let out a tired breath. "_I tried to stop her..."_

A second later Procius was shoved aside as a girl in pristine white robes with plaited, golden-blonde hair marched into the temple, her fists clenched tightly at her side. Theia smiled warmly. "_Well, this is a nice surprise..."_

The newcomer stopped and stood rigid, glaring at Theia like she wanted to disintegrate her with her eyes. "_Again?"_ hissed the blonde girl.

Theia cocked her head and Percy suddenly noticed the two cats had abandoned their mistress, plodding over to Procius' side and sitting down on either side of him for safety.

"_Something wrong?"_asked Percy of the black cat.

Basium licked a paw and sighed. "_It's probably best to stay back."_

"_Again what?"_echoed Theia innocently.

The girl seethed. "_DON'T START!"_ she barked, and Percy suddenly noticed a crackle of blue energy sizzle up the blonde girl's left arm. "_Do you have any idea how long it's going to take to put things back the way they were?"_the girl demanded.

Percy leaned closer to the black cat. "_I don't get it. What did she do?"_

The cat ignored him, seeming preoccupied with finding a safer position. Procius sighed and replied on its behalf, "_The mistress has many idiosyncrasies. Three of them are renaming things, playing matchmaker, and-"_

"_You changed the layout of my _entire temple!" screeched the girl.

Procius let out a breath and continued, "..._Remodeling."_

Percy glanced around. "_Well, this place looks alright..."_

Procius shrugged. "_I have become, shall we say, somewhat_adept_at cleaning up after the Mistress."_

"_Look, Procella, I-"_

"_My_name_is Aemilia! Not Procella; Not Tempestas; Not Oppugno:_Aemilia_!" _snapped the other priestess in response.

Theia shrugged. "_My names are much better. Trust me, Procella; all I see is the truth in things, even with names. I cannot lie, how many times must I tell you this? And I moved things around for the better. Your temple is much nicer now."_

"_You stacked all my stone benches on top of each other!"_said Aemilia through gritted teeth.

Theia shrugged and examined her nails. "_It'll let you catch the midday sun better, along with a nice afternoon breeze. For a daughter of Jupiter you really don't get enough fresh air."_

Aemilia seethed. "_You took the sundial from the square and propped it up on top of one of my father's statues!"_

Theia frowned. "_How else are you supposed to know what time it is when you're sitting all the way up there? Be thankful Lord Jupiter has such a nice flat head... It's kind of like yours...though I'm not sure yours would make a very good place to put a sundial... or would it?"_

Aemilia was turning redder by the second and Percy could smell ozone radiating through the temple. "_Are you really this insane?"_

Theia cocked her head. "_Little bit."_

Aemilia let out a disgusted shriek and a bolt of lightning shot out her left palm uncontrolled, causing a nearby vase to explode into fragments. Procius automatically went about cleaning it up and within a few seconds the debris had completely disappeared.

Aemilia pointed her crackling finger out the door and back towards her temple. "_Go. Fix. It,"_she hissed, leaning right into Theia's face_._

Theia shook her head calmly. "_I can't. I've got official business to deal with first."_

"_Since when do you ever have official business?"_

"_This happen often?"_asked Percy quietly.

The man's shoulders slumped. "_Quite often. They have known each other since they were children and were both made priestesses at approximately the same time. Many have compared their arguments to those of an old married couple."_

Percy smirked. "_More like a married couple that's gone through a very messy divorce. Look, this is fun and all, but I really need to talk to you."_

Procius opened his mouth to speak when he realized Aemilia was looking right at him. "_So, you know something of Theia's mysterious new cleaner, do you?"_

Percy blinked. "_W-well, kind of. I don't know...maybe." _He turned back to the man, "Look, you speak my language, don't you?" he asked, speaking English again.

At the sound of Percy's words, pain flashed over the man's face, as if fighting some great impulse, his hands gripping his broom handle so hard they were turning white.

"Do you understand me? Where are you from?"

"I..._I..._I'm not...don't _remember... I can't._..something is..." The man stammered, his voice switching between English and Latin uncontrollably. Suddenly he tensed up, as if something snapped, and he tore his sword free again, his face taking on that expressionless mask that it had before.

Percy sprung himself away from the wall, staggering back, his hands raised defensively, "_Calm down!"_

"_Procius! What in my mother's name are you doing?"_ snapped Theia, standing up sharply, her calm mask breaking for the first time.

Obviously speaking Latin wasn't enough to fully snap him out of it this time as it had before; he continued pushing Percy back with a multitude of meticulous sword strikes that the son of Poseidon found himself staggering to avoid.

The son of Poseidon backed out of the temple with his assailant still hot on the offensive.

The instant the man leapt off the temple steps to strike, Percy pulled out Riptide once more and blocked the attack.

The demigod's hand snapped out and grasped firmly onto the naked blade with enough force that the blade should have sliced clean through it.

Seeing no other choice but to go on the offensive, Percy used his opponent's moment of surprise to lean under his guard and knee him in the chest.

Procius gasped and staggered forward, Percy's head slamming forward into his.

The man reeled back and collapsed to the earth. Percy raised his blade up reflexively just as the two half-blood priestesses emerged in pursuit.

"_Stop!"_ shouted Theia, believing Percy to be an instant away from launching a fatal strike.

Her associate was obviously not in the mood to take any chances, as she hurled a bolt of lightning directly at Percy.

The demigod swung his sword about to block the bolt. The blue light crackled off the celestial bronze surface, which glowed blindingly bright and reflected clean off the divine metal.

There was a crash as the stray bolt struck something in the distance and Percy dropped his sword, raising his hands again to show he meant no harm.

Theia went to her servant's side and crouched down to examine him, her eyes then turned on Percy, glaring at him with enough force to cause the demigod to pale slightly.

"_What did you do to him?"_

"_Me?"_echoed Percy in disbelief_, "I didn't do anything! You saw what happened; he just attacked me!"_

"_You spoke some strange words and you caused him to go wild. What did you speak, was it some kind of enchantment?"_asked Aemilia suspiciously.

"_That was no enchantment! That was English. It's the language we speak where I'm from."_

Aemilia, surprisingly, turned to Theia, who was regarding Percy with a frown. She nodded after a second, obviously confirming he had spoken truth.

"_The alien tongue,"_lamented Theia. "_He would speak it in his sleep, and when he sung strange melodies as he worked. You come from the same land, you say?"_

Percy nodded. "_We come from...a long way away."_

"_Very far away..."_confirmed a voice as the black tom prowled slowly out of the temple, the tabby at his heels.

Percy's heart sank slightly, having believed he'd bought at least a little longer away from Theia's weird pets.

"_Where is this land of New York?"_enquired Complexo, tilting her head in an oddly human manner.

Percy was both glad and frustrated. He was frustrated that the cats were picking up on every hidden truth he spoke, and also glad they hadn't picked up on the fact he was also from the future.

He sighed and cocked his head north-west. "_That way. Keep going a few thousand miles."_

"_And so you believe- Oh no..."_Aemilia trailed off as she looked past Percy and the sound of cluttering armor filled the air.

Percy turned around to see about two dozen Roman soldiers amassing on them. He knew the look of someone who had taken offence to him well, and these men were all aiming those looks square in his direction.

His instinct as a demigod was to fight his way past them or to run, but he knew that with a nothing but a celestial bronze sword he'd have done more damage swinging a stick. Even then, he knew that going so far as to possibly maim or kill someone in the past could be devastating to the future. There was also the problem that with all those drawn swords surrounding him one of them might just get lucky.

Theia just sighed and rolled her eyes like it was a minor inconvenience.

The troops stopped and spread out into a wide circle around them, more guards coming to reinforce them from the opposite direction.

_Great, what've I done now?_ thought Percy with a sigh and he tossed his sword to the ground and raised his hands in surrender.

"_What've you done now?"_asked Theia to Aemilia with a sigh. Aemilia merely groaned as she sighted a man in his thirties or forties dressed in pristine white robes emerge from the group, a pair of ornately dressed officers at his side. On his head he wore laurels, which Percy assumed meant that whoever this guy was he was one of the big cheeses.

The man looked down his nose at the entire group. Percy noticed that he seemed to take time to sneer with amusement at the daughter of Jupiter.

Percy's face screwed up into a frown, trying to place the man's face.

"_To think you would go so far..."_said the man to Aemilia in a patronizing tone. He didn't seem angry, but rather filled with both triumph and pride, as if he'd been waiting for this to happen.

Aemilia sighed and took a step forward. "_My lord, I do not know-"_

"_You will bow your head before our glorious Dictator!"_barked one of the man's personal guard.

Aemilia gritted her teeth and bowed her head with both reverence and extreme reluctance. "_My lord, I know not what it is you speak of."_

The man nodded his head at one of the guards behind him, who nodded sharply in response and turned about, taking something from one of the soldiers behind him.

He turned about and tossed what appeared to be the head of a black stone statue down at the feet of the blonde priestess.

Her eyes widened in shock and a small smile played over the man's face, a smile that seemed to show just a few too many teeth. "_To think you would desecrate the statue of the great Lord Pluto. I was here to show my reverence when you dared do this to his glorious image."_

"_My lord, I did no such-"_

"_There is no other who bears the power of Lord Jupiter!"_snapped the man, cutting her off. "_I have witnesses from both the Senate and my own personal guard that saw your power do this damage!"_

Percy nervously raised a hand and the man's dark eyes flicked to him. "_Yes?"_he enquired with contempt.

"_That... may have sort of been my fault,"_ said Percy, realizing that someone getting executed because of him was probably just as bad as killing them himself. Suddenly he frowned. "_Also pretty sure lightning doesn't work like that..."_

"_Silence!"_shouted the man, his smile immediately returning as he regarded the priestess, "_So, you had accomplices in your vandalism, did you?"_

He snapped his fingers and wafted a hand lazily in their general direction. "_Arrest them all,"_ he said dismissively and turned to walk away. All of the guards immediately moved to obey his command, one pausing to indicate the fallen form. "_My lord, what of him?"_

The man regarded the unconscious Procius like he were a bit of discarded rubbish. "_Leave the temple trash where it lays,"_ he said with a sigh. He turned and walked off as his guards took the protesting group into custody.

Percy's shoulders slumped, realizing that it'd probably be best for him and the people he'd gotten into trouble to just go along with the arrest for now. Aren was probably going to talk his ear off about not listening to her as soon as she and Armani caught up with them.

As he was dragged off he gave the unconscious man one last glance. _Who_are_you?_

_-_A-

"You're sure it was this way?" I asked as Aren lead me quickly back the way I had come, having already caught up with me and began explaining what Percy had stumbled over. I was personally glad to have a lead, as my own wanderings had turned up nothing. In fact the only thing I could ascertain from the mumbles of the passing dignitaries (who seemed to be the only ones in the district at the moment with the exception of some guards) was that the entire place was under de facto lockdown from the general public while some VIP did his worshipping.

"It's just round here," said Aren as we turned into another street. There seemed to be some serious activity going on further down as a large group of guards had blocked off the street.

"And you're sure he said _Bon Jovi_?" I asked, still a little dubious.

Aren shrugged. "Pretty sure. He thought it was important, but then again it could be nonsense. After all, he is just a bo-" I heard her snap her mouth closed as she bit the end off her sentence.

I raised a brow and eyed her silently.

She blushed and seemed to shrink slightly. "Sorry...force of habit."

I smiled slightly. That smile melted, however, as I saw a man pacing up the street towards us flanked by two guards.

Recognition and disbelief sparked through me in equal parts. "Quick, out of sight!" I grabbed Aren by the shoulder and dragged her into hiding behind what appeared to be a decapitated statue of Hades.

I held Aren close and leaned around the statue slightly as the man passed. If he saw us, or even cared about our presence, he didn't seem to care. "_Impossible..."_I breathed as the man disappeared round a corner.

"A-Armani?" Aran stammered.

"Aren," I whispered, "do you know who that was?"

"Ummm…" she mumbled.

"That was _Julius Caesar!"_I whispered, looking at the girl excitedly. "Arguably the most famous..." I trailed off as I realized how tightly I was holding her. "Umm..." I muttered as she looked at me, her face beet red.

_Now let her go..._prompted my inner voice with a sigh.

Aren was breathing unevenly, her face tilted up towards mine as her arms locked slowly around me and I found myself drawn closer to her once more.

_Oh gods not this again..._

Just as I felt the heat of her an millimeter from me, her lips searching out mine, the sound of clashing metal and loud protests snapped me out of it and I caught sight of a dozen Roman troops marching several struggling figures up the street behind Caesar.

_Danger, there you go,_danger_! Now stop this nonsense and get your mind back on the job!_

I let go of Aren, who staggered back a step, her hand going to her chest as I leaned fully around the statue.

_Oh, spiffing..._

And who did I see being dragged away by the guards? None other than Percy.

"Aren," I said, "we may have a problem."

She shook her head and peeked over my shoulders to regard the group being dragged away. "Oh, gods, what's happened?"

I cocked my head. "It would _appear_ that Julius Caesar has arrested Percy Jackson..."

Aren caught the frown on my face. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Nothing, just... never thought I'd ever have to say that."

"Should we help him escape?" asked Aren, her hand gripping her dagger instinctively.

"No," I said. "We can't risk a fight with that many guards, especially since they have prisoners. We can't risk killing anyone or getting anyone else killed. Besides, all it would take is for one of the troops to get away and raise the alarm and we'd have every guard in the city coming down on us. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not have to face off against the entire Roman army unless absolutely necessary."

Aren nodded. "I agree. They'll probably be taken to a jail somewhere. We can follow after, slip in and break Percy out."

I inclined my head. "My thoughts exactly. Come on; it looks like it's clear."

I circled the statue and glanced about. Thankfully the entire street was now deserted.

"I'm sorry, Armani," said Aren suddenly, her voice solemn. "I never should've left him."

I smiled weakly. "It's alright; for all we know you'd have been arrested right along with them, and to be perfectly honest I'd rather have you by my side."

She blushed slightly and gave me a tiny smile that, for some reason, caused me to flush a little.

_Stop it, stop it, stop it!_

I blinked a few times and shook my head to clear it.

_...Thanks._

If I didn't know better I could've sworn my instinct grumbled dejectedly in response.

I paused in the middle of the street. "Well at least we've worked out what time period we're in."

Aren slid out from behind the statue. "The time of Caesar, when was that?"

"The dawn of the Roman Empire: around one century BC. The reign of Caesar... oh this could be problematic."

Aren frowned. "Was he that bad?"

"Depends on what you mean by bad. He was efficient, ruthless and a brilliant tactician. When one of his legions protested his war he had one out of every ten killed, about four hundred, just to set an example. If he's now in power as Dictator, then we're right in the middle of the point when Rome was at its most militaristic. That means we'll have to be even more careful. It's a bit of a historical irony, really; the most famous man in Roman history was only in power for four years before he met a somewhat nasty end at the hands of his own Senator's daggers."

"Let's just hope we can get Percy out and finish our quest here before any of that can add to our problems," said Aren.

"One can only hope..." I replied as I continued surveying the area for more guards.

My brow suddenly twitched as I felt something. That vague sensation I had felt earlier suddenly became apparent now my mind was focused. It was still directionless, but it felt much stronger, as if we were almost directly on top of it.

My attention was caught by a weak _'meow',_which I thought a somewhat odd thing to hear in our current situation.

I quirked my head about and began walking down the street with Aren towards the sound.

It turned out that it wasn't quite as deserted as I had first thought.

A pair of cats sat beside a man who appeared to be unconscious, sprawled face down on the marble floor. A ginger cat was jabbing him with its paw almost urgently, as if trying to rouse him. It let out another concerned _'mrrow'_as its black counterpart circled impatiently.

Aren frowned and picked up what appeared to be a sword with a wooden handle. Her brow clenched in thought, as if the thing was strange for a reason she couldn't comprehend. On the floor next to it was the bottom half of a broom, which she also picked up. Her eyes flicked between them.

Disbelief seemed to etch her face as her hands moved slowly and shakily to slot the blade down into the broom. She twisted the handle and it locked in place, seamlessly concealing the weapon. She looked at the brush as if it were a truly impossible thing and shook her head silently.

"Brush-sword, huh? Wait, how did you know it was designed to do that?" I asked with a frown as I crouched to examine the downed man.

"_Can't be_..." breathed Aren. "In all my years I've only seen one of these things before, and that belonged to..." Suddenly her breath caught in her throat and she began walking almost numbly towards the man, her eyes locked on him.

She slid a shaking foot under his chest and flipped him slowly onto his back.

Aren gasped and staggered back, dropping the brush to the floor with a clatter, her face ghost-white and eyes as large as saucers.

I glanced between the man and Aren. She didn't take her eyes off him as she breathed out, in utter disbelief, "..._Hippolytus?_"

_To be continued…_


	8. Chapter 8: The Field of Mars

**The Lost Prince**

**Chapter 8: The Field of Mars**

Aren regarded the fallen man, her expression ashen with shock. I looked at him with no small amount of surprise myself. "Hippolytus?" I echoed.

Of course I knew the name well. Ancient legends involving my mother had _conveniently_ been on Apollo's required reading list as I grew up.

I regarded the impossible man that lay before me. "Prince of Troizenos..." I frowned. "But why exactly would we need to go after him? I mean how does..." I trailed off as something suddenly occurred to me. I turned to face the pale-faced Aren. "Just how did you recognize him? He should've died thousands of years ago. You've only been a Hunter for three centuries."

Aren shook her head, "No, you don't understand..." she said numbly, still obviously shaken.

"What do you mean?"

"I recognize him because I used to know him...He was Lady Artemis' temple attendant."

I blinked. "The attendant? You mean that _H_ guy?"

Aren nodded. "Until he disappeared, anyways."

I shook my head. "But how? I mean, how could he have been around after all those centuries?"

An almost sad smile crossed Aren's face, "Lady Artemis made him immortal. She used to say 'I didn't go to all that trouble bringing you back to life just for something as mundane as old age to undo my work'."

I smiled. "Sounds like something my mother would say. But who would've thought she'd grant immortality to a male...besides me, of course."

She shook her head, obviously still lost in thought. "Well, she also used to say that there is only one thing harder to find than good help."

"And that is?"

She smiled slightly again. "Exceptions that prove rules." Her smile faded, "She tried to seem indifferent when he disappeared, especially around the newer Hunters. She didn't really succeed."

I continued regarding the man. "So he's in Rome at this point in time. I would've thought he'd be at my mother's temple. But how is he linked to my father?"

"Armani..." Aren said slowly, "You should-YAAH!" Aren was cut off mid-sentence as she suddenly let out a shocked shriek.

She swung about, shaking her ankle to detach the ginger and white cat that had buried its claws in her calf to attract her attention.

The cat wisely released its grip and backed away just as Aren swung a dagger free in its direction, missing the animal's ear by a fraction on an inch.

Aren rubbed her ankle as she glared at the feline whilst trying to catch her breath. "Why in Hades did he do that?" she gasped.

"It's a _she,_actually," I corrected calmly, causing Aren to shoot me a withering glance out of the corner of her eye. Suddenly another voice spoke up. It was calm, demure, and decidedly female.

"_Forgive me, but we had attempted to attract your attention several times.__However, you and your companion appeared too engrossed in your conversation.__I'm afraid__I had little other choice."_

"Armani," Aren muttered, "either this mangy thing's bite carried some kind of hallucinogenic drug-"

"_How rude,"_ butted in the cat indignantly_._

"_-_Or it just talked."

I looked at Aren and then back at the cat, who was now sitting on her haunches and regarding us a little too inquisitively, her tail swishing back and forth over the marble floor.

I cocked an eyebrow. "_Did_ you just talk?_"_I asked, only partially aware that the animal seemed to have understood English despite its speaking Latin.

"_I did."_

"Huh. Okay then..."

"_If I might ask…"_Another voice, this one male, cut in. It seemed slightly more bored than the female's.

"Huh, well I'll be... two talking cats," I said, nodding acceptingly. I turned to Aren. "You know, part of me is telling me that I should find this strange."

Aren just sighed.

"_To be accurate, we do not so much as speak as communicate directly with the minds of others."_

"Two _psychic_ talking cats?" asked Aren.

"_As I was_saying," cut in the male cat, an average-looking tom with black fur, irritably. "_Are you acquainted with the son of Neptune?"_

"Son of Neptune?" I asked with a start. "You mean Percy?"

The black cat narrowed its eyes at me. "_You know him, I see. So you are from the future also."_

"I_…_I'm not... wait..." I spluttered for a second before composing myself. "He...said something along those lines, did he?" I hissed, as if worrying someone in the vicinity would hear.

I was frankly bewildered as to why Percy would reveal such a thing. "I'm not sure what you've heard about us being from the future, but I assure you that it's completely unfounded."

The cat couldn't shrug his shoulders, so it simply settled on swishing his tail once. "_So... You are a son of__Artemis, you say? Interesting..._"

"_What?"_ I gaped, "I never said that!"

"_Are you saying it's untrue?"_asked the animal, and I knew there was amusement in his voice.

"_Y-yes!"_I stammered lamely.

"_And you are in love with this one here,"_chimed in the female cat, looking up at Aren.

Aren's face turned an almost impossible shade of red. "_T-that's not true!_"

The female cat looked back at me. "_I see. And she loves you too."_

"_Stop doing that!_" I protested in a slightly high-pitched tone.

"_Doing what?"_asked the black cat innocently.

"Whatever it is you're doing!" I snapped.

"_Well, you're the ones who keep lying,"_said the girl cat plainly.

"Aren, be careful." I said suddenly.

"Why, what's going on?"

I nodded at the cats. "I'm not entirely sure, but I think these cats are doing much more than looking into our minds. Am I right?" I asked the tabby.

She looked away. "_I refuse to answer."_

I smiled as realization dawned. "So I'm right. Aren, don't lie. Don't even tell a slight white lie. If you do, these psychic felines will pick up some secret you're hiding."

"_Very clever,"_said the black cat patronizingly. "_Why, I'd applaud if I had the anatomy that would permit me to do so."_

I glared at the cat and he let out a panicked "_MROW!"_ of objection as Aren reached down and picked him up by the scruff of his neck. "Alright, kitty, I think you've said enough. Now it's time for _us_ to ask a question."

The cat wriggled about, but Aren had obviously had experience with holding animals without getting scratched, and kept him easily at arm's length. "_How dare you! I demand you release me at once! Can't you see I'm far too old to be picked up like this?"_

Aren smiled. "Then answer quick. What happened in there? And how did Hippolytus get here?"

The cat hung dejectedly in Aren's hand. "_Your friend the son of Neptune caused a disturbance with the Mistress' temple attendant." _The cat seemed to hesitate. "_W__ait, Hippolytus, you say?"_ The cat arched his head down to his counterpart. "_So that's his name. Since he arrived with no memories, the Mistress simply named him Procius."_

I smiled reluctantly. "Procius..._Prince._ How apt."

"_The mistress does have a certain sense of irony,"_said the female cat, looking worriedly up at her partner_._

"Answer my question," hissed Aren, her hand gripping slightly tighter. "_How_did he get here?"

The cat let out a _mrrow_ of pain and I sighed. "Aren, for heaven's sake. Just put him down."

Aren glanced at me. "B-but..."

"It's getting to the point where we're just torturing a small furry animal-"

"_Why thank you, stranger."_

"-and we can't even eat it."

"_I withdraw my thanks."_

Aren sighed and set the cat down. He hissed up at her as he adjusted his head from side to side, _meowing_ in slight pain, his partner coming up and gently licking the back of his neck.

"Can you answer Aren's question?" I asked.

The cat purred as he spoke. "_The only person who saw him arrive was a drunkard, who told the guards that it was like 'a__sphere of the night sky,__of__purest black, fell to the earth, and he was within'. Of course his words were dismissed as the ravings of someone who'd had a little too much wine, but Hippolytus was taken into custody after. He was eventually taken to the Mistress' temple once the local authorities could get nothing__more__from him. His memories were completely gone. It is most difficult to ascertain truth when there is none to be had to begin with."_

I was silent in thought for a moment. "He'd lost his memories?"

The girl cat inclined her head as the two cats sat down beside one another, "_He spoke the same tongue as you during his sleep. He would also speak it as he sung strange melodies. However, when questioned it was as if he didn't know he were even doing it."_

"Well that clears one thing up..." said Aren.

"What do you mean?"

She regarded Hippolytus. "That this is _not_ the Hippolytus from this time. If it were, he wouldn't speak English at all."

I blinked and turned to Aren. "What? Wait, but that would mean he came back in time too. Unless of course-" I halted dead mid-sentence as I caught Aren looking directly at me. I felt the telling tingle of all the blood draining from my face as she spoke.

"Armani, Hippolytus disappeared from Olympus...Sixteen years ago."

Ever had one of those instances where someone says something that hits you hard enough that you find yourself wavering on your feet, just a push away from collapsing? Well, that's what happened to me in that instant.

I remember staring at her vacantly as her hand went out to steady me, and suddenly, for reasons I can't comprehend, I felt myself become immensely afraid of the man lying on the street in front of me, and at some point I found myself regarding him unblinkingly.

I wanted to tear my eyes away. If I hadn't been staring at him already then I know wouldn't have had the courage to look at him directly again.

"Are you okay?" Aren asked gently.

"No," I whispered. Of course I wasn't okay. I was confused. Happy, sad, scared, angry, relieved. My brain didn't know which emotion across the spectrum to focus on. It wasn't like in the movies: the stirring music doesn't start playing; the tears of unfathomable joy don't come. No, it was more like my mind brought up a window saying 'Please wait: Loading emotional response to earth-shattering revelation' and then got the blue screen of death.

I was dimly aware of analyzing the man's face. And, yes, I could see myself in him to a quite terrifying degree: The same slightly angular cheekbones that differentiated my features from my Mother's slightly softer complexion; I was pretty sure we even had the same forehead. I suppose the rest, as they say, belonged to my mother.

The ginger cat got up and circled into my line of vision. "_Is there a problem?"_

I stared as I spoke. "...He's... it's... ah..." I trailed off, unable to face actually saying the words just yet. I took a long, deep breath to calm myself and turned suddenly to Aren.

"We have to find Percy."

Aren blinked in surprise. "A-are you sure? I mean, will you be okay?" she asked, her hand slipping into mine just long enough to squeeze it briefly.

"It's not important," I said in a level tone which did not betray the torrent of emotional turmoil boiling beneath my surface. "We need to find Percy and go. Our job is done."

Aren appeared worried by my reaction, but nodded anyway.

The man on the ground groaned painfully and I took an almost reflexive step back away from him.

More concern flashed over Aren's features as she watched me, but she bent down and touched Hippolytus' shoulder anyway, shaking him gently as I stood silently, looking down blank-faced at the stirring form. The two cats went to his other side, nudging him with their heads.

The man grumbled as his hand went to the red welt on his forehead.

"Hippolytus?" asked Aren tentatively, nudging him gently.

"_Hippo...what?"_groaned the man.

"_Wake up,"_the male cat snapped impatiently. "_This is no time to be resting. The mistress is in danger."_

His eyes suddenly flicked open and he sat bolt upright. "_The mistress?"_

Aren frowned. "_Mistress?_"

The female cat approached. "_Mistress Theia was arrested, along with Priestess Aemilia and the son of Neptune you fought with."_

He clenched his eyes closed as if trying to think through a wall of fog. "_I fought...with him? Why was I fighting?"_

The black cat's tail swished back and forth. "_We were hoping you could tell us. For some reason speaking in that language seems to set you off."_

"Hippolytus?" Aren grabbed him by the shoulder.

The man regarded her blankly for a moment. "_I'm afraid you have me mistaken for someone else."_

Her hand slipped away. "_You really don't recognize me..."_

Hippolytus studied her face closely, as if searching for a memory that refused to come to the surface. He shook his head. "_I'm sorry."_

"_It's_Aren_..."_ she said almost pleadingly._ "For Artemis' sake, you've known me for centuries!"_

His face screwed up in pain for a moment.

"_Enough!"_hissed the black cat. "_We can discuss our mutual friend's amnesia once we have ensured__our mistress isn't going to be put to death for the actions of _your_ friend."_

Despite my inner turmoil I couldn't help but sigh. "_What's Percy done now?"_

"_He inadvertently damaged a statue of Lord Pluto. Lord Caesar was worshipping nearby and happened to witness the incident, and chose to take advantage of the situation."_

"_What do you mean 'take advantage'?"_I asked.

The cat seemed to sigh tiredly. "_Let us just say_ _that Lord Caesar has had it in for young Priestess Aemelia ever since she was born. He takes personal offence to her very existence."_

"_But why? What does he have against her?" asked Aren._

The cat's eyes narrowed. "_Is it not obvious?"_

"_Enough of this banter,"_snapped Hippolytus, dragging himself to his feet and pulling up his weapon. "_I will petition for Lady Theia's release immediately."_

"_Julius wants them dead,"_said the female cat. "_He wishes to make an example of them. You cannot bargain for their release, especially considering__how long he has been waiting for this opportunity.__Let us just pray that he does not discover your friend's parentage. If he does, then things could get very...bad...for them both."_

"_If it comes to violence, then so be it. As guardian of the temple of Veritas I shall stake my life on the safe return of Lady Theia and her companions."_

I saw Aren smile sadly out of the corner of my eye. "You haven't changed at all..." I heard her whisper to herself.

He abruptly turned to Aren. "_The son of Neptune. Is he a companion of yours?"_

Aren blinked. "_Y-yes, he's with us."_

He rested a hand on her shoulder. "_Fear not, innocent maiden. Your friend shall see the light of__the__next dawn, you have my solemn oath."_

Aren smiled weakly. "_I don't doubt it."_

He nodded. Obviously he was mistaking her slight shock at his presence for fear for Percy's wellbeing and was trying to reassure her.

I suddenly realized he was looking at me, "And you, young maiden?"

"_Man!"_ I barked on reflex, my shock suddenly transforming into a strong urge to slap him.

He blinked and studied my face for a second.

"_What is it?"_I asked, feeling disturbed by his scrutiny.

"_Forgive me. I meant no insult, young warrior. I merely found something of your countenance...familiar."_

"_Of_course_you did. He's-"_

"_Aren!"_ I snapped, slightly more harshly than I intended. She regarded me in shock and I shook my head mutely.

Aren returned my look. I could see a strange desperation in her eyes.

_She wants to help you, both of you. Your fear of the unknown is holding you back._

_I'm not afraid..._

_You lie to yourself more than any other being alive._

"_I must go now,"_Hippolytus said, his voice snapping me out of my stupor. "_It will take some time to reach the Field of Mars. I have no doubt Caesar will choose to make a public example of them,__probably after the council meetings."_

"_I'm coming with you,"_said the Huntress suddenly.

Hippolytus turned to Aren. "_I'm sorry, Miss Aren, but I cannot place you in danger. It was my outburst that caused this, thus I shall rectify the problem._"

"_Strange,"_ said Aren, stepping square up to Hippolytus, her tone almost acidic. "_You speak as though I were asking."_

Hippolytus regarded her for a moment. Memories or not, something was obviously telling him that treating Aren like some helpless temple priestess was not a wise thing to do. "_It will most likely be dangerous."_

"_Accepted."_

A small smile tugged on his lips. "_Then I will be honored to have you by my side."_

I flinched as Aren gripped my lower arm. I looked at her and she squeezed it with gentle reassurance. "_Coming?"_

I gave her a defeated smile. "_I suppose..."_

"_If that's all settled, then,"_said the male cat as he uncurled himself and began walking down the street, "_I suppose we'd best be going. Just make sure you don't get in__our way." _he finished as the tabby trotted off at his side.

I blinked. "_And where exactly do you two think you're going?"_

The black cat paused and spared me a sidelong glance. "_You didn't really expect us to leave the fate of our mistress in the hands of a bunch of emotionally torn bipeds, did you?"_

"I am not emotionally torn," snapped Aren.

The female cat's ears twitched in amusement. "_Oh, the mountain of truth hidden behind that one__statement...If only there were time."_

"_Enough, Sacra, we must make haste," s_aid the black cat as he leapt up onto a wall and began loping ahead.

"_You are too impatient, Divus. There is no need to arrive ahead of them,"_ called the female cat as she leapt up ahead into the path of her companion.

I watched as the black cat leapt back down in the street, his tail swishing irritably as we caught up. "_You are right, of course. We cannot risk the mistress harm by intercepting them__en route,"_he said grudgingly, though by the way his fur spiked up I could tell he was itching to run. I knew the feeling all too well.

Sacra leapt down and nuzzled him gently. The cat seemed to grumble, but purred grudgingly anyway. "_At peace, Divus. At the moment there is nothing for us to do but pace ourselves."_

-A-

We spent the next while in slow pursuit of the guards by moving down a shaded alley which ran parallel to their path. Divus was observing the guards' path from the rooftops whilst passing psychic directions back to Sacra, who was acting as our guide.

Normally I would've found the prospect of psychic cats and daring rescues to be the foremost thing on my mind. But no, the only thing I could think of was the amnesiac keeping pace just in front of us.

"Aren't you going to talk to him?" whispered Aren.

I glanced at Hippolytus and back. "And say _what_?" I asked with sad irony.

Her face fell and she settled on squeezing my arm again.

I didn't complain.

What in the heck _was_ I supposed to say? '_Hey there! You don't know me, but I'm actually your son. Remember that guy who impaled you with that__crystal thing? Well he took that and stabbed it into your mistress and made me. Want to go play__some Xbox?'_

_That might actually work._

_Oh, be quiet._

One way or another I knew this was not the time to go all domestic. We needed to rescue Percy. The matter of my supposed father and his lack of marbles could wait until later.

"Hipp- ah- _Procius?_" asked Aren.

"_Yes, Aren?"_

"_Do you by any chance have any...injuries, or scars, that you have no memory of getting?"_

He smiled in a way that was chillingly familiar. "_It is strange you should ask. For when I was first found in this place I was quite badly injured, although I have no memory of being in battle._ _I__merely__assumed that whatever fight I was in to cause the injury may have caused me to strike my head at some point."_

Aren's eyes narrowed. "_Where, exactly, were you injured?"_

He orientated himself so he was walking partly sideways and shifted his toga to one side slightly over his chest. "_It was quite a strange puncture wound. The healer said it did not appear to have been made by a blade."_My eyes were trained on the star-shaped scar in the middle of his torso.

Aren nodded. "_Almost like it wasn't made by a knife. Perhaps some kind of pointed stone..."_

Hippolytus looked down and nodded thoughtfully before covering it back up again. "_Indeed, that was my hypothesis also."_

Aren nodded and I saw her eyes flick sideways to me for an instant before going back ahead.

_What is she doing?_

_She's trying to help you. Trying to make it real enough to make you accept it more easily. She's worried about your mental state._

_My 'mental state' is fine._

_For now perhaps, but suppressing your feelings has always been a failing of yours. The scar on your hand is proof of what happens when you intentionally bottle your emotions up._

I made no response from there on. That was one annoying thing about this particular nagging voice in my head; it had this annoying tendency to know more about me than I did.

_It's taken you sixteen years to admit that?_

_Oh shut up..._

I breathed a quiet sigh and looked at Hippolytus. I knew the basics about the guy, of course, but the fact of the matter was that I knew him about as well as Hippolytus knew himself right now.

The other fact was that the man before me wasn't my father; he was a stranger both to me and himself.

_What's the point in trying to get to know an empty shell?_

_Is that your excuse for not saying anything to him? You want to wait until he has his memories back?_

_Yes._

_Really?_

_No, I'm procrastinating of course. What is it with you and asking questions you already know the answers to?_

_Isn't that what teachers do?_

_Oh, so now you're my teacher, are you?_

_In a way..._

"Armani?" asked Aren, nudging me gently with her elbow, startling me before I could shoot back a retort to my oh-so-wise instinct.

I shook my head. "It's nothing, sorry. Just...got a lot on my mind."

She looked at me quietly for a moment, assessing me with concern in her eyes.

"I'm fine," I said quietly, trying my best to smile. I'm relatively sure I succeeded.

She nodded and turned back forward. "_So why is he taking her to the Field of Mars?"_she asked the cat trotting alongside her.

Sacra flicked her tail, as if scoffing at something. "_It's all ego. Julius gathers the Senate there to meet. He'll probably mention offhandedly that he intends to execute them and will more than likely drop in their identities."_

Aren frowned. "_I don't understand."_

"_It's quite simple,"_I cut in. "_B__y stating that he'll put even children of the gods to death if they oppose__him,__ he__'ll send a strong image to the senate. It's all about power."_

"_Quite right," _said Sacra._ "But the primary reason is the fact that Aemilia in particular will be put to death. To him, the mistress is just a bonus."_

"_But what's so special about Aemilia? Is it because she's a daughter of Zeus—sorry, of Jupiter?"_

_Sacra cocked her head slightly, as if it were odd that I even had to ask. "That has everything to do with it."_

Aren was probably about to enquire further when Hippolytus suddenly raised a hand, halting dead. The alley opened at a T junction. Bright light was spilling from the right.

I leaned around the corner beside Hippolytus. The path opened quickly up into a large square.

Sacra weaved past him and into the open. She sat on her haunches, watching something. Seconds later, from the direction she was observing, the group of guards appeared. They had by now bound their captors, and were shoving them ahead of them. They lead them off into a guard house on the opposite side of the square.

I watched as Divus slipped across the square after them like a shadow. He leaped up onto the ledge of a barred window and then settled patiently down.

Once the coast was clear, we exited from our concealment. The sudden glaring light reflecting off the marble street caused me to shield my eyes as I surveyed our surroundings. The guardhouse was a simple, squat building made out of yellowed bricks with a barred wooden door. Several darkened windows covered the side of the multi-story structure.

Detached from the guardhouse, however, was a much grander structure.

"_The Theatre of Pompey..."_I breathed. Seeing the ancient structure looking practically newly built proved a welcome momentary distraction. "_You're looking at the first__Roman theatre__ever built."_

The structure was massive: steps leading up to rows of columns, within would be the main theatre and the forum area that Caesar often used as a meeting place for the Senate. A lot of the rest of the space was occupied by the temples built into it and also the gardens and numerous meeting places that adorned the complex.

"_Another amazing sight..."_I breathed.

"_Yes, I'm glad you find the sights to your liking,"_said Sacra irritably. "_Now if you'll kindly get a move on."_

Hippolytus nodded. "_The senate meeting is probably already in progress. It is strange though..."_

"_What is?"_asked Aren.

Hippolytus frowned. "_The guard is somewhat lacking. Normally the senate have their own personal guard attend also, for extra security. There are hardly any guards at all. It would appear only Caesar's contingent__has attended.__Odd..."_

I shrugged. "_Perhaps the other dignitaries just wanted some privacy."_

"_Perhaps..."_

"_Either way,"_said Aren, "_It'll just make things easier for us. Shall we move now?"_

Sacra shook her head. "_No, I'll wait for Divus to give me a signal. Allow him to assess the situation__on the__inside first. It may be that he'll be able to assist the others without your__help."_

"_You're putting a lot of faith in your friend.__I just hope he doesn't cause even more trouble than we're already in,"_said Aren.

She flicked her ears in response. "_I wouldn't worry.__He's quite inconspicuous, and we cats aren't exactly known for foolish heroism."_

_-_?-

"_Watch it!"_ snapped Aemilia as the guards shoved them against the wall and roughly frisked the trio for weapons.

An unfortunate guard jerked sharply away; his hand had strayed a little high up her thigh, and the daughter of Jupiter sent a surge of electricity up his arm.

"_Impudent temple wench!"_ snarled the man, tossing her unceremoniously into a barred cell.

Percy was feeling particularly glum. He knew he could escape if he tried, but he didn't know just how much of an impact such an act would have on the future. He'd seen enough movies about time travel to know even the smallest things could cause the craziest effect on his present. Apparently killing insects was a big one, though he had no idea why.

He wasn't really concerned when the guard patting him down discovered Riptide clipped to the belt of his robe; it always came back on its own regardless.

He watched as another guard upended his bag over a nearby wooden table and gave the contents a quick once-over before moving to slide them back inside.

Percy's breath caught as the man hesitated. Luckily there wasn't anything of any real importance in there: just a couple of ambrosia cakes, a drachma or two and a prism he kept for easy Iris-Messaging. What _was_ in there, however, and what the guard seemed puzzled by, was the Shard of Kronos.

_Ignore it, ignore it, ignore it..._he chanted in his head. The shard was surrounded by Mist and appeared as little more than a broken piece of metal. Being a thing of such evil, though, Percy had a nasty feeling it was doing its best to make itself known, to the point that even through the Mist a lowly guard could tell something was amiss.

Percy flinched and the guard dropped the shard to the table with a clatter as a door on the opposite wall was thrown open and another man marched in. He was dressed in fine gleaming armor, and had a pristine white cape on his shoulders. His fingers were tapping impatiently on the hilt of a polished sword hilt as he came to a halt.

Percy thought him to be somewhere in his forties, with evenly cut black hair and dark, proud eyes. His presence obviously commanded respect, as every guard immediately snapped to attention upon his arrival.

"_Lord Antonius,"_ said the head of the guard, eyes straight ahead. "_Are you here to inspect the prisoners?"_

The man nodded thoughtfully and began pacing the room. "_Yes,"_he said with a sigh, his tone making Percy feel that the man thought his presence a waste of time. "_Lord Caesar has asked I make sure his 'special prisoners' are in custody and secure for after his meeting with the senate."_

"_As you can see, my lord; we were just securing them now."_

He nodded acceptingly. "_So,"_he began, "_These are the enemies of Caesar."_

"…_Enemies?"_ asked Percy._ "No, no!_ _We've got nothing against him,_" he said earnestly. _"Caesar? He's a cool guy. I love his salad! Definitely not an enemy."_

The man cocked an eyebrow questioningly. The guard behind Percy must have taken it as some kind of cue, as Percy found himself being clipped on the back of the head by the man's gauntlet for his objection.

The man rolled his eyes at the guard's reaction, then regarded the demigods once more "_Children..." _he lamented with a sigh. "_What is Caesar thinking?"_

"_He's just being as pompous and egotistical as ever, Marcus,"_said Aemilia as she leaned against the wall of her cell.

He smiled pityingly at her. "_Aemilia... It looks like Caesar finally got his excuse to make an example of you."_

She rolled her eyes. "_I know. Any excuse to lick boots in the hope__of__more favors..."_

Marcus sighed again. "_You don't do yourself many favors talking like that either, Aemilia. Worry not, I will talk to him. I'm sure I can get your sentence relegated to a mere flogging."_

"_How kind of you,"_ said Aemilia tersely. She was clearly trying to sound sarcastic, though Percy could see just a genuine touch of gratitude towards the man.

He rested his hands on his knees. "_I will do my best for all of you, though I cannot guarantee how successful I will be. Lord Caesar is intent on making an example of someone. I regret that for at least one of you, this may be your last day."_

"_Ever the sweet talker, Marcus,"_said Theia casually. "_I always thought you were in the wrong job."_

He smiled weakly. "_Perhaps."_ And then, as he turned to leave, his gaze fell upon the table.

Marcus hesitated and approached the table with a frown on his face. "_What's this?"_he said as he slowly reached out and picked up the shard, turning it over in his hand.

He turned to the guard behind Percy questioningly.

"_I am unsure, Lord Antonius. It appears to be a simple piece of__broken__blade. It was in the possession of this one,"_said the guard, shoving Percy for emphasis.

Percy started to feel very nervous. Where the guard before had looked at the shard with bewilderment, this Marcus Anotonius was looking at it with a _much_ clearer expression.

Marcus looked at Percy. "_Well boy, what is this?"_

Percy tried to look as nonchalant as possible. "_Just a bit of a broken old heirloom. It's nothing special."_

Percy paled as the man's kind eyes darkened. "_What is this magic?"_ he hissed, holding the shard in front of Percy's face.

It suddenly occurred to Percy that the man didn't just have a clearer view of the shard; he could actually see it through the Mist, red glowing aura and all.

The man's eyes narrowed as Percy hesitated. "_Very well, I shall take it to Lord Caesar. He may find it of interest."_ He turned to the guards. "_Lock them up."_

The man nodded an affirmative and shoved Percy and Theia unceremoniously into the cell after Aemilia, slamming the wooden barred door behind them.

The cell was quite plain. The only thing that passed for furniture was a pile of hay in one corner, and the only light came from a barred window high up on the opposite wall.

Percy remained rooted to the spot where he had entered, Theia circling the room and sinking calmly down onto the hay in the corner before closing her eyes, as composed as if she were still on the throne in her Temple. Aemila was leaning against one wall, her arms folded and an irritated scowl etched on her features.

_He took it._

It was all Percy could think, wondering how it was possible for that Marcus Antonius person to have seen so clearly through the Mist.

"_We've__got__to get out of here,_" said Percy sternly.

"_And go where?_" asked Aemilia with exasperation. "_A flogging... and that's the_best_I can hope for."_ She rounded on Percy. "_I do hope you realize that this is all your fault."_

"_Want to tell me how you worked that one out?"_

"_Settle down, children,"_said Theia calmly.

"_And I don't see how you can be so damn calm!"_snapped Aemilia at Theia, sparks rippling up and down her right arm from a clenched fist.

Theia finally opened her eyes and glanced upwards toward the small barred window. "_Are you just going to slink about up there all day?"_

A voice suddenly echoed back through Percy's mind in response. "_You seemed preoccupied. I was waiting for__Miss Aemilia to settle down."_

"_Never going to happen, I'm afraid,__so now's as good a time as any,"_said Theia with a sigh.

Percy watched as a black shadow appeared at the bars. It slipped easily through and down the wall.

The black cat loped quickly across the room and curled up in Theia's lap. She smiled down as the animal settled and began purring happily as she stroked it.

"_Great,"_ grumbled Aemilia. "_Now you've got your crazy cat for company. Good for you."_

The cat _mrowwed_in irritation. "_Is that so?"_ asked Theia, apparently speaking to the cat in response to some silent question.

"_What is it?"_asked Percy.

"_Your friends and my attendant are outside. I've been in contact with Basium and Complexo for some time now. They've been following us ever since we left the Temple. Good boy, Basium."_

The cat both purred and growled at the sound of Theia's made-up name. It was a very odd sound.

"_And you were going to share this with us when?"_ demanded Aemilia.

Theia shrugged. "_Just now."_

"_Wait, can you get a message back to the others?"_asked Percy.

Theia glanced up. "_Of course I can."_

Percy paused for a second as he thought how best to phrase it without giving anything away to the others, _or_ lying.

_-_A-

"_Hmm..._" hummed Sacra in thought.

"_What?_" Asked Hippolytus.

She narrowed her green eyes towards the jail. "_I have a message from your friend. He says it's urgent."_

"What is it?" I asked, leaning closer to the cat as if it would make more of a difference.

The cat seemed to frown. "_I'm not exactly sure_what_it means, but he said you would understand."_

"_What, what is it?"_

"_He_says, _and I quote:__'One of the big cheeses swiped our MacGuffin and is taking it to the Salad Guy.'"_The cat cocked her head. "_Strange boy..."_

Now Percy had said some odd things in the time I'd known him, but this one really threw me for an instant.

_Oh no..._

"_What's a MacGuffin?"_asked Aren, but I was already leaning down.

"_Who, who took it?" _I asked urgently, grabbing the cat by the shoulders.

She hissed and swiped at my hand with a claw, "_Watch__the fur...Very well, I'll ask."_The cat cocked her head a second later. "_According to your friend, it was Marcus Antonius…Hm, Lord Antonius, is it?"_

I groaned loudly, wiping my face with a palm. "_Oh,__well__that's just bloody spiffing, isn't it?_"

Aren frowned. "_I don't understand. What's going on?"_

I sighed as my shoulders slumped. "_Aren, it would appear Mark Anthony has taken the shard and is on his way to deliver it to Caesar."_

Aren's eyes widened understandably. "_Then let's go get it back!"_

I nodded in agreement. "_Right. I think it best I go after the shard. You two-"_ there was an audible growl. "_Sorry,_three_, see about sneaking the others out of jail."_

"_You can't be serious!"_ gasped Aren as I got ready to move.

I glanced back. "_Don't worry. You lot and a bunch of demigods should be more than enough if you get into a scrap."_

"_That's not what I meant! You can't be seriously considering going in on your own."_

I smiled slightly. "_Don't worry, I'll be fine. The smaller the group on a surgical assault the better. I know the general layout of the place__from old maps. I'll sneak into Caesar's chambers, swipe the shard whilst his back's turned and be out of there faster than you can say__Pontius Pilot."_

Aren opened her mouth to object, but I had already slipped out from our alleyway and begun edging around the side of the square.

I waved the others out of cover once the coast was clear.

I watched until they had crossed the square. I then slipped into an office adjoining the Theatre and out of sight.

-?-

As the group reached the jail building's side, Aren's hand suddenly went out and halted Hippolytus dead. "_What is it?"_he asked.

Aren was looking ahead, a frown etched on her features. "_Follow Armani,"_she decided after a moment's silence.

"_You cannot be serious. We must help the mistress."_

Aren shot him a glare. "_I am more than enough to handle a couple of guards and free the others. Once they're out it'll be three demigods and myself-"_a low growl sounded off from the side. "_Sorry, three demigods, two cats and myself. We will be fine."_She shook her head, "_It's Armani who's in danger. He's going to need your help."_

"_But my mistress-"_

Aren's teeth glared as she sharply turned about and grabbed him roughly by his robe. "_She is_not_your mistress!"_hissed the Huntress. "_Now Armani needs your help, and you're going to give it. I know how good you are, Hippolytus; besides Lady Artemis there was only ever one person who could beat you in a sword fight, and she's not around any more..."_

Hippolytus looked blankly at her, a million questions on his face.

"_Please,"_she repeated. "_I can swear Theia and the others will be fine, but I don't know what kind of security Caesar will have around him.__He needs you...Not that he'll admit it."_

He regarded her in silence. After a moment he nodded his head, Aren's hands slipping free of his robe. He hesitated for a moment then turned about, crouched low and ran quickly back across the square.

Aren watched as he disappeared into the doorway Armani had vanished through. She let out a long sigh. "Domestic... why do things always have to get so domestic?" With that lament she turned and slipped in the jail's side door, Sacra following behind her.

-A-

The outside of the Theatre was deserted and relatively unguarded; the inside, however, was a much different story. The number of guards may have been small, but they were still placed strategically enough that I was stuck slipping down each of the corridors behind veils, curtains and vases.

I was hidden flat behind a curtain waiting for the guard patrolling the end of the corridor to finish his rounds when I felt my hand straying to my sword.

_Someone's here, close..._

I nearly leaped out of my skin when a hand suddenly gripped a hold of the hand holding the hilt of my sword. Hissing in shock, I turned. Hippolytus pressed a finger urgently to his lips, urging silence as the guard passed by.

"_What the hell are you doing here?"_I mouthed, glaring angrily at him.

He raised a hand to calm me, turning about to watch as the guard vanished around a corner. Satisfied, he turned back. "_Your friend the Hunter__demanded__I follow you. She was quite insistent."_

I rolled my eyes. "_Aren..."_I glared at him a moment longer. "_Fine, just stay close and try not to get in my way."_

He cocked an eyebrow. "_Strange, I was just about to say the same thing."_

I didn't respond to his cocky retort, merely slipped out of hiding and crept down the corridor with him slinking behind me.

Thankfully, the next few corridors were deserted as we reached the temple of Venus. Less thankfully was the fact that my new companion couldn't remain as silent as I was. "_I get the feeling you don't like me."_

I glanced quickly back at him, half-intending not to respond. I turned my gaze forward again. "_And what would make you think that?"_

"_You've been quite hostile towards me ever since we met."_

"_I don't recall saying anything untoward."_

I knew he was smiling slightly as he spoke. "_You didn't have to_say_anything. It's more like you have an aura__that implied that,__if it were possible for me to vanish__into thin air,__then you would be quite happy."_

"_That's not it!"_I whispered back as loudly as I dared.

"_Then what?"_he asked.

I could feel frustration welling up. Frustration at myself for not being able to sort out my own feelings, frustration at this person who was trying to make me face them, and frustration at the whole situation in general, "_It's none of your business!"_I lied.

"_You're lying,"_He said with finality, his tone becoming less amused.

I came to a halt and turned about to look at him. "_Oh, and what makes you think that?"_

He narrowed his eyes at me. "_You and your friends; the Hunter and the demigod. You both claim to know me, you know who I really am. You keep calling me..."_he paused, his brow twitching as if having trouble saying the word.

"_Hippolytus?"_I offered.

He nodded, his hand on his head. "_It feels like I'm close to remembering something. It's like my memories are submerged in a great, dark pool, and every time I reach for one it simply slips through my grasp."_

"_You really remember nothing?"_ I asked disbelievingly. "_Aren, the Hunters, Lady Artemis. How can you possibly forget thousands of years' worth of memories and not even have an inkling? Do you not feel anything when you look at me, does nothing seem at all_familiar?"

I could see him desperately straining, those memories slipping just out of reach as he described, "_Who are you?"_he asked almost desperately after a moment.

I clenched my fist at my side, trying to gather my determination.

_I can help you. Do you need a hand to say the words?_

My eye twitched as, even as my instinct spoke, I sensed something on the edge of my consciousness. I assumed it was Aren's presence in the distance. The others must've escaped already, as it seemed way too close to be coming from the jail. The distraction was cut off as my instinct spoke again.

_No...you don't, do you? You're almost ready, but now is not the moment._

I inclined my head, and tried to appear reassuring. "_I'll tell you later."_

He sighed, "_I'll hold you to that. Now come, let us make haste."_

I smiled despite myself. From what I knew of Zoë, he seemed quite similar. Where she seemed unable to stop herself splicing her words with Old English, Hippolytus seemed to have adopted a form of speech that was split somewhere between modern and classical.

He paused, noticing I was still standing still. "_What's wrong? Something perturbs you_?"

I blinked and shook my head. "_No, sorry. Let's carry on._"

Hippolytus hissed under his breath and grabbed me by the shoulder, pulling me sharply under cover behind a statue of Aphrodite an instant before a hooded figure strode into the room.

It was clearly a female, I could tell as much from the posture and scent. She moved without sound and with the practiced steps of someone used to keeping their presence concealed. I also realized with a start that I could now _sense_her presence. I didn't know why, but something close seemed to be obscuring my perceptions. It was like my senses were being blurred by something, as if they were looking through a glass of water.

My eyes were drawn to the man next to me.

_Is it him, is his presence confusing me somehow?_

_His memory has been altered, who knows what else has been done to affect him?_

I regarded the hooded figure. If it was someone I could sense, then that could only mean it was another Hunter. It didn't take a genius to work out who that meant.

_Stop!_

I halted just as I was about to lean out to reveal myself.

_Too tall. The scent's way off, too._

I frowned in confusion.

_Then who-_

Suddenly every muscle in my body tensed up and I froze dead, holding my breath as the figure drew back her hood. Black hair cascaded free as she revealed herself, dark eyes sweeping the room like a searchlight, tanned skin glistening slightly in the heat.

_Don't…move…a muscle. Do not breathe. Try not to even think too loudly._

Zoë Nightshade's fingers drummed on her dagger as she regarded the room, lips pursed, clearly looking for something.

_What in Hades is she doing here?_

I dared to let my eyes turn to Hippolytus, who was frowning at me. I shot him look that begged him to stay as quiet as possible.

I thanked whatever gods were watching as he nodded his head little more than a millimeter.

She drifted silently but purposefully around the room.

_She knows someone's here..._

I suddenly caught a whiff of something else on the air, a much more pronounced, sweet scent than the subtle one Zoë was giving off. A second later, a pair of giggles filled the air.

Zoë's head snapped toward the direction the sound was coming from, and she quickly pulled her hood back up. She started walking for the exit just as two priestesses entered, laughing happily and talking amongst themselves.

Zoë nodded cordially as she passed, acting as if she were nothing more than a regular patron here to pay respects. The priestesses barely spared her a glance as she vanished.

I waited for the room to be empty again and grabbed Hippolytus violently by his robe and bolted from the room, pulling him along.

I ran blindly down a corridor and practically threw Hippolytus into concealment behind a curtain before ducking in behind him.

He was understandably startled as I leaned back and fought to catch my breath.

"_Who was that?" _demanded Hippolytus.

I took a calming breath. "_Trouble."_

"_Answer properly!"_ he demanded sharply.

I regarded him silently. Frustration and desperation were etched on his face. I let out a breath. "_She was a Huntress of Art-of Diana."_

Hippolytus looked back the way we came, "_And what exactly was she looking for, and why did we need to hide from her?"_

I shook my head. "_Trust me. It would be bad, catastrophically bad, if she had caught us. What I don't understand is-"_I halted dead as a very bad thought came to mind, two bad thoughts to be precise. I swallowed a gulp.

His frown deepened. "_What's wrong?"_

I looked at him. "_I think someone's done something to you that's affecting your aura."_

He frowned. "_My...what?_"

I rolled my eyes. "_Anything my- Lady Diana imbues with her power tends to generate an aura I can sense. You have some of her power in you, but it's been distorted. Just being near you is narrowing my senses like looking the wrong way through a telescope."_

He nodded, "_I believe I follow, though you have raised several more questions. I still fail to see why this worries me so."_

"_It's because if Zoë got that close without my sensing her, then that means I have absolutely no idea how many Hunters are in Rome right now. It also means I have no idea where Lady Diana herself is. Things just got insanely dangerous."_

He shook his head in confusion. "_I don't understand. Why would Lady Diana be after you? Have you wronged a maiden in your time, young man?"_

I groaned. "_No, but if she's sent Zoë then that means she's sensed either Aren or myself__and she wanted someone to investigate. I have no idea why she hasn't sensed _you_ yet; your presence must simply be__so__distorted that she doesn't recognize you."_

Bewilderment and desperation crept into his eyes. "_Recognize me? Why would she recognize... What is going on?"_he demanded, his voice rising dangerously loudly.

My hand snapped out and clamped over his mouth as he glared at me. I pulled the hand back and clenched it into a fist once I was sure he wouldn't speak again. I paced back and forth a few steps behind the curtain we were hidden behind. A second later I swung about. He was still glaring at me.

I took a deep breath. "_Alright, you want to know?"_He nodded, "_Well here it is, Hippolytus-"_

"_My_name _is-__"_

"_You are Hippolytus, former Prince of Troizenos. You were kidnapped at a point near the end of the twentieth century and sent back in time with your memories erased. You are a servant of Lady Artemis and have been for thousands of years. And right now there are two of you in this time period: the one serving lady Artemis-slash-Diana, and you, the one who shouldn't be here. And if you are seen, then the effects on the future could be disastrous."_

_Hold back, why don't you?_

_I _was_ holding back..._

Hippolytus looked at me without emotion. I waited for the accusations of insanity, the anger, but it didn't come. He simply swallowed and nodded, his eyes moist. He thought himself insane as it was, I could see it in his face. He was on the cusp of giving up entirely. "_And you?_" he asked after a moment.

I glanced away. "_I am Armani Dove, son of Artemis."_

"_Lady Diana is a virgin, how can she have had a child?"_

"_THAT'S the part you question?"_I hissed disbelievingly. I rolled my eyes. "_On the bright side, I suppose that means you're still in there after all, especially if some part of you is__saying that what I said is the truth."_

He nodded slowly. "_And so if I am from the future and am seen now, or you and your friends are discovered, then..."_

"_Then it could end up that I was never born, simply blip out of existence, along with the__others. That's the best case scenario. There are much worse ones."_

"_Worse than you all ceasing to exist?"_

I rolled my eyes. "_It's not like I'm a time travel expert. I mean, do I look like a mad scientist to you?"_

"_Not a scientist, no."_

I groaned again.

He shrugged. "_So any small act you take could alter your present drastically."_

I nodded. "_Like a ripple in a pond. It could affect the outcome of the war with the Titans…heck, it could cause a paradox of universe-shattering devastation, for all we know._ _All I_do _know is that we really shouldn't tempt fate by finding out exactly what will happen."_

He nodded as if dwelling on it, then suddenly he cocked an eyebrow. "_The war with who now?"_

I waved a hand. "_Not now. Now let's just get that shard and go. It holds the key to us getting home, and I'd really rather not risk Julius figuring out what it does."_

He inclined his head. "_Then let us make haste."_

I needed no further encouragement as we slipped out from behind the curtain and continued on through the marble corridors.

-A-

Security began to increase harshly the deeper into the Theatre complex we got. Eventually we came to an antechamber situated just outside what appeared to be someone's personal quarters.

I leaned around a corner to spy down the passage leading into the main room. Two guards were situated at attention on either side of the door at the end. I leaned back around.

"_Any ideas?" _I asked

Hippolytus peeked around the corner and back. "_A distraction would be wise, or perhaps a surprise attack._"

"_Surprise them how? Short of rushing them and hoping they don't see us until it's too late, then I'm afraid they'll see us before we reach them."_

A small smile tugged on Hippolytus' lips. I suppressed a shudder when I realized it was the same one I got when something that I considered a brilliant idea came to mind. Unfortunately I often have an inability to discern between brilliant and insane when caught up in the heat of the moment.

I just prayed this man was different.

I pushed down the urge to stop him when he slid his brush free and then calmly began sweeping the corridor, moving casually out into the passage and in clear sight of the guards.

One turned at the sound, his hand straying to his sword hilt for a second as Hippolytus carried on cleaning.

He seemed totally oblivious as the guard frowned curiously at him, his hand coming away from his sword. "_Servant!"_ barked the man harshly.

Hippolytus paused to look up, the picture of ignorance. "_Yes, my lord?"_

"_This is a secure area. Only the dictator's personal staff may enter. Leave."_

Hippolytus nodded and immediately went back to brushing. "_Of course, sir. I'm almost finished."_

The man scowled as Hippolytus moved within a foot of the pair.

The guard lashed out and grabbed him by the scruff of his robe, "_I said-"_ he didn't get to finish as, with quite astonishing speed, Hippolytus disconnected his broom handle from the base and, twirling it like a staff, swung it about and smashed it off the base of the other guard's neck. He didn't even have time to cry out in shock as he dropped like a stone.

Hippolytus immediately lashed out and smashed the man holding him in the same spot. He instantly went limp, the temple attendant catching one in his arm and the other on top of his foot before they could clatter noisily down onto the marble floor.

Quietly, he flipped both over his shoulders and returned to where I was, pausing to deposit the pair behind a couple of potted plants.

He looked back at me, "_Problem solved."_

I watched as he passed and continued on down the passage, "_What kind of janitor are you?"_

A ghost of a smile app eared on his face, "_A good one, at least I assume so. Come, and be silent.__That guard was louder than I would have liked. Let us hope the occupants were not disturbed should they be in residence."_

I nodded and slid into the doorway after him.

Large plants obscured our view of the main room as we silently concealed ourselves behind them. We didn't even dare to move some of the long green leaves to get a better look lest someone see it.

I managed to find a gap to peek through.

My breath caught as I made out a figure lounging on an elaborate red sofa.

"_It's him."_I mouthed, nodding through the gap.

Hippolytus leaned in and looked through, nodding thoughtfully.

I slid around and found another gap. My brow twitched as I caught sight of another occupant in the room. He was clearly at least an officer. His uniform was far more elaborate and it had a silken white cape trailing from the shoulders. It took a moment to place his face, but when I recognized him, I was certain of it.

_Marcus Antonious, more commonly known as Mark Anthony; future lover of Cleopatra._

I leaned sideways and spied Caesar's other side. In his hand he idly twirled the shard of Kronos. Its blood-red aura was coiling eerily about his hand as he slid the shard between his fingers.

_Great, now all I have to do is swipe a powerful divine artifact from two of the most decorated generals in military history without being seen, get out without making any consternation, help bust my friend out of jail and abscond as quickly as possible, and not get discovered, else we'll end up bringing the entire Roman army down on our heads._

_Really is one of those days, isn't it?_

"_Do you know what it is?"_asked Marcus.

Caesar's hand moved out of my view. "_I've never seen the likes of it. It has a truly terrible feeling to it though. This small piece of metal has tasted more blood than any blade I have held. I can feel it. I can feel the echoes of the souls it has sent to the underworld."_

"_It is of the gods?"_he asked.

He laughed quietly. "_Most certainly. And it is obviously of great importance to the people you took it from."_

Marcus frowned. "_Why do you think that?"_

Caeusar seemed to shrug slightly. "_Because two of them have already come to retrieve it. They're hiding just behind me amongst the palm trees."_

Hippolytus and I looked at each other with alarm. I saw Marcus' hand go for the hilt of his sword.

"_Hmm, the temple attendant from earlier. Perhaps I should've had them bring you, too. And...a demigod?"_ said Caesar casually.

Marcus began striding straight towards us, but stopped when Caesar waved a tired hand._ "Be still, Marcus, I'll handle it."_

I went to grab my sword hilt. Hippolytus was already crouched with his hand on the grip of his weapon, ready to pounce if need be. I saw Caesar raise his hand back into my view and into the air. Abruptly, he plunged it down at the ground and into the shadows around his couch. In the same instant, a pair of hands shot out of the shadows directly in front of us and clamped onto both mine and Hippolytus' throat.

Before we even had time to think, we had been swallowed by the shadows we had been hiding in and were laying flat on our backs, looking up at Caesar. He drew his hands out of the shadows and clasped them on his lap over the shard sitting there, a small smirk on his face.

"_Only a fool would hide in the shadows when dealing with me."_

Marcus immediately freed his sword and pressed it to Hippolytus' throat, his foot pressed into the small of his back. Caesar rose and drew a blade from his robes and pointed it at my own jugular, not touching, just hovering there warningly.

"_Impossible, "_I breathed. "_That's...that's totally impossible. That was... that was... shadow travelling?"_I shook my head, Caesar's smile widening slightly. "_But that would mean..but that can't__be... That would mean you're-"_And that was when I took notice of the sword right next to my face.

The blade was black. An unmistakable black that seemed to swallow the light and reflect none back.

Stygian Iron.

Caesar suddenly raised his head up so he were looking even further down on me, "_I am Gaius Julius Caesar: General of the Roman Army, Victor of Alesia, Conqueror of__the Gauls, and Son of the Almighty Lord Pluto."_

I began to push myself up. _"But that's-"_ I was cut off as Caeser's blade brushed my throat. A burning pain spread out across my neck and I immediately went still.

"_What should I do with them, my lord?"_

He seemed to mull it over. His eyes narrowed at me. "_In a moment, Marcus. Tell me, boy, which of the gods created you? I have not sensed a soul like yours before."_

I snarled at him, the burn on my neck throbbing. "_Yeah, well, I am one of a kind,__so to speak."_

"_A son of Pluto,"_said Hippolytus suddenly. "_So that's why you've been out for Aemilia all this time."_

Caesar smirked. "_But of course. I was going to execute her, though Marcus has convinced me a decent flogging will do. Once I've thrashed the flesh from her__bones__and brought her to the last inch of life, to the point Jupiter will know Pluto could claim her if he so chose, I will show mercy. Lord Pluto will permit Jupiter to keep his daughter. Orchestrating such a show of power will please my father greatly."_

"_That's disgusting." _I spat.

He smiled coldly. "_Hardly. The favor of__Lord Pluto has helped me get where I am today."_His smile twitched, as if remembering a joke. "_The power granted to me by my father has yielded great conquests. I have more power over death than any of my father's children in memory. Like the battle of Aelisia."_

I shook my head. "_Yes, I heard of that. You won by use of clever siege tactics and forced the Gauls into retreat."_

He laughed. "_Yes, that is true. Partially true. But you should have seen the look on those barbarians' faces when their own slain comrades rose up and turned on them. Even as they killed my own forces, each man dead simply added to my...personal forces."_

Revulsion washed through me. "_You were reanimating corpses in battle?"_

He shrugged. "_A good general uses the resources he has. Each fallen enemy became an ally. It was because of the additional power granted by my father's favor that I was able to pull off such a feat. I can only imagine what token he will grant me when I make an example of Jupiter's daughter. And now I have this item, too, this strange fragment that radiates such death. Tell me what this is, and answer my question: Who is your parent? Should you answer then I may be...lenient."_

I glared up at him. "_And should I choose silence?"_

He cocked his head. "_Then you will simply end up exactly as your friend the temple servant."_His eyes flicked to Marcus. "_Kill him."_

Marcus was obediently raising his sword up strike when Hippolytus rolled suddenly over, the blade scraping the flesh on his shoulder. He leaped back to his feet, a hand going to his injury.

Marcus charged, his blade dipping straight under Hippolytus' unprepared guard with clinical accuracy.

_He has him!_

A chill went through me as a kind of panic that I had never known before suddenly rose up from within, and I found myself crying out in desperation, "Father!"

Hippolytus used Marcus' slight distraction by my outburst to prevent himself being skewered. He grabbed hold of his lower arm and swung himself about, driving his foot into his opponent's chest. His armor absorbed the blow, but it was enough to send him staggering back.

Then Hippolytus glanced at me, frowning. "Father? _What do you-"_ his voice suddenly stopped with a hiss. His eyes went as wide as saucers, his mouth miming the word over and over. He suddenly grasped his head and doubled over. An unearthly cry of pain tore from him as he rolled over onto his side.

Marcus had already recovered and had been about to strike again, but his opponent's condition had given him pause and he lowered his blade, a look of morbid curiosity on his face.

My father thrashed and suddenly he arched his back and let out a long, deafening howl of agony as what appeared to be some kind of black smoke began pouring out of him. It seeped out from his mouth, his nose, even his eyes.

He spasmed once more and then fell still. The black smoke coiled together, collecting in upon itself and compressing down until it solidified into a spiky black rock. It clattered harmlessly to the floor and then collapsed into a pile of black sand, which in turn blew away into nothingness.

I noticed Marcus look questioningly at Caesar, who was still frowning at the fallen man. He noticed his subordinate's gaze, paused in thought and nodded sharply at Hippolytus.

Marcus inclined his head and lifted his blade. "_I don't know what madness befell you, but consider your torment at an end."_

"Oh, _n__ot bloody likely!"_I roared, shoving Caesar off. The pain caused by his dark blade searing my skin added to my rage as I charged Marcus head on. I drew my sword on without thought and lashed out at the taller man.

He took a quick step back. The slash grazed him slightly, slicing open his robe under his armor, cutting him across the lower chest.

His hand went to the wound and he looked at the blood that stained his fingers. His gaze turned back to me and he snarled openly.

It took a moment, but something else occurred to me, something that threw an even more dangerous spin on the situation.

I found myself pointing at the shallow cut in his chest. "_But, this sword,__it's Celestial Bronze."_It was then that I noticed the subtle red glow that was emanating from Marcus' skin. I lowered my sword and rolled my eyes. "_Oh, don't tell me."_

"_I am Marcus Antonius, son of Mars."_A twisted smirk of amusement spread across his face. "_Fight me...If you're ready to lose."_

I turned to get a better vantage point when suddenly there was a blur of movement.

Marcus didn't have time to react as my father, in one fluid movement, slid to his feet and axe-kicked the Roman general under the chin.

He was thrown back and crashed into a large, expensive-looking vase, which exploded into not-so-expensive-looking fragments on impact.

Marcus flipped himself back to his feet, the glow about his body increasing in intensity. He appeared totally uninjured, and even more excited than before. "_This might actually be interesting...Tell me your name, my adversary."_

Hippolytus stood, still crouched from his attack. His head slowly rose back up, a look of burning intensity on his face. "_My name... is Hippolytus, former Prince of Troizenous, eternal guardian and protector of the temples of Artemis,"_He extended his hand out sideways and a tiny silver glow seemed to emanate from it. There was a rustling from the plants as his weapon shot out and flew into his waiting hand. He drew his sword and took on a fighting stance. "_Fight me...If you're ready to die."_

_To be continued…_


	9. Chapter 9: Et tu

**The Lost Prince**

**Chapter 9: Et tu...**

Aren entered the jail block without the slightest sound. She pressed herself flat against the wall, edging up to the corner, and peered around into the next corridor.

Three barred doors occupied one wall. There was a single wooden table and one guard lounging in the chair beside it. The soldier didn't seem too enthralled by his job and seemed far more interested in whittling things into the table with his dagger than keeping his eye on the cells.

She could see from her vantage point that the first cell was empty. The only cell that had any noise coming out of it was the end one. It also happened to be the one with the guard stationed directly opposite.

She reached into her robe and withdrew her dagger.

Leaning back into cover, she gripped the weapon by the blade and flung it at the wooden door opposite her, burying it into the aging wood with a loud _thud_.

Aren poised herself as she saw the guard's shadow change as he shot to his feet in shock, his chair clattering to the floor behind him.

"_Who's there?"_called the guard, the unmistakable sound of steel being cautiously drawn clearly audible.

Aren slid back a step as the guard edged forward, his sword raised.

She watched as the shadow of the man's sword lowered slightly and he edged warily towards the dagger. He grasped it and tugged once, then twice and with some effort managed to tear it free.

The guard regarded it with a frown as Aren slid out of concealment behind him and tapped him twice on the shoulder.

The guard turned about, a confused look on his face as he regarded the young blonde girl who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Aren nodded at the dagger. "_I'm going__to need that back now."_

Before the guard could process the information, Aren lashed out with the flat of her palm and struck the unprepared guard in the face. He reeled back and smacked his head off the door behind him, collapsing to the floor in an unconscious heap.

"_Time to escape?"_called Percy's voice from down the corridor.

Aren retrieved her dagger and stood up. "_Pretty much..."_

"_Be__right out."_

There was a crash as the end cell door was kicked off its hinges by a foot in a white Nike.

Percy emerged and dusted his toga down. "_Well, that wasn't very secure."_

Aren shrugged as she proceeded to bind and gag the prone guard. "_I suppose they didn't need to worry about their prisoners escaping."_

"_Why?_"

Aemilia answered as she strode out her cell, looking as irritated as always. "_Because where else would we go? Rome is teeming with soldiers and guards. All it takes is one to raise the alarm and spread word."_

"_Come now. I'm sure everything will be fine,"_ said Theia calmly as she emerged, her black cat at her side.

"_Ever the optimist, Theia,"_grumbled Aemilia as Aren shoved the guard into one of the cells and locked it up with the keys on his belt.

Aren stood up and regarded the others. "_We__don't__have much time until it's discovered you've__escaped. Now, we've got to go and help the others."_

"_You think Armani's gotten in trouble getting the shard back_?" asked Percy.

Aren looked at him. "_We're in the middle of enemy__territory,__it's__Armani, and we've turned our backs on him for more than five minutes."_

Percy nodded his head. "_Good point... But like the lady with the talking cat said, I'm sure he's fine."_

_-_A-

_We're all royally screwed._

Things had been going fine. My father was holding his own against Marcus; the stronger demigod was experienced, but obviously it wasn't enough in the face of several millennia worth of training. They weaved about one another, clashing blades in the cramped space.

Then things got progressively worse.

Guards were banging away on the door; obviously the commotion had attracted attention, and the curtain rail my father had used to bar it probably wouldn't hold for long.

Caesar may have been a politician, but that obviously didn't mean he'd become a slouch. His sword skills were far superior to the only other son of Hades I'd ever met.

"_Not bad, boy,"_snarled the dictator as he smashed down on my blade with his Stygian sword. "_But do you really think I've survived this long by letting brute strength decide a fight?"_

I parried his blade aside and swung into a roundhouse kick that sent Julius staggering back a few steps.

"_Not going to let your friends in?"_I asked with a smirk, ducking as my father sent Marcus flinging just over my head.

Julius paid little heed as his subordinate landed on one hand and sprung right back up, charging again. "_This is not a fight for mortals, and do you really think I need help to crush a whelp like you?"_ The son of Pluto flipped his sword over in his hand as we circled one another.

_Cocky chap, isn't he?_

"_You should mind your hubris, Gaius. Apollo likes to make examples out of people like you."_

He stopped, smile faltering. "_My confidence is well founded...boy,"_he spat, and that was when things took a _much_ worse turn.

The ground started rumbling.

Caesar smirked. "_Let's take this somewhere less cramped, shall we?"_ None of us had a second to ask what he meant when the shadows each of us was standing in suddenly swallowed us up.

-A-

I managed to keep my footing as we emerged from the shadows in a large open topped room.

Multi-level seats covered one wall in a semicircle with us standing on a large stage before them.

_The Senate's meeting place, and also the theatre. He has irony, I'll hand him that._

Caesar spread his arms out, sword raised. "_Now let us continue!"_

"_If I might interject,"_said Hippolytus suddenly, using the temporary break in the action.

Caesar scowled. "_What is it?_"

He turned to me. "_Why did you call me _father_?"_ asked the temple guardian with a raised eyebrow.

I rolled my eyes. "_Is this really such an important thing to be bringing up now?"_

"_I find myself asking the same thing,"_grumbled Marcus, his foot twitching, obviously itching to continue fighting.

He shook his head. "_No, I think I'd like some answers. Why did you call me father?"_

"_Because you_are _my father,_and if at all possible can we please carry on this conversation in English._"_I muttered, not wanting those present to catch wind of our true origin.

Hippolytus looked aghast at my implication, "Impossible. I know not where you get your information, young man, but I swore a vow of celibacy centuries ago._"_

"Let's just say you didn't have much of a say in the issue. You remember who you are now, I take it._"_

He scratched his forehead with the base of his sword. "Well, I remember everything now, even the events of the past few weeks that I've been stuck here._"_

"_Enough of this foolishness..."_ interrupted Julius coldly, and I saw his outline begin to glow a cold blue, the subtle tremor under my feet becoming a light earthquake.

I felt an unnatural chill run down me as it suddenly occurred to me what was probably about to happen.

_Oh no... Not that. Anything but that._

My vain prayer was answered by a withered hand bursting out of the stone flooring by my foot and grasping hold of my ankle.

I cried out in shock and swiped down with my sword in disgust, staggering back. "Zombies! Why does it always have to be _zombies?"_

"Come to think of it," said Hippolytus, still in thought and totally undisturbed by the undead rising around him. His hand flicked out with his blade to decapitate the ones who had fully formed near him. "One of the last things I remember doing is getting that strange Iris Message from a gentleman claiming to be from the Olympian Forestry Commission..."

"Father, there's no such thing as the _Olympian Forestry__Commission,"_ I said irritably as I fought off the rising hordes.

He severed an undead barbarian at the hip and nodded his head thoughtfully. "You know, that would explain a lot..."

"Yes, I'm sure your recovering memories will be _very_fascinating and all," I said as I jump-kicked a decomposing Centurion, "but perhaps we can save the exposition for a less precipitous moment."

My father nodded his head as he calmly bisected another undead opponent. "If you say so..."

"_Give me the shard, Caesar,"_I called at the Roman as he stood calmly back and let his troops assault us.

As we fended off the undead assailants, we noticed a murmuring as people gathered at the far doorways. Older Romans, dressed in white, were watching from afar.

_The politicians don't look too surprised..._

Some of the undead my father had been fighting were already putting themselves together again, and with Marcus attacking at the same time, he was starting to be pressed back.

"_Tell me what this is...and I'll call them off."_said Caesar calmly as he held up the shard, his tone sickeningly patronizing.

I drove my sword into the gut of my attacker and forced him forwards, knocking back the attackers beyond him.

I pulled it free and somersaulted over his head, lunging at Caesar.

He swung his sword up to guard, deflecting my blow, that smile unfaltering on his face. An instant later the undead I had knocked down were back up and had hold of my shoulders, pulling me back into their number.

I roared and thrust my shoulders back, shaking them off for a second as I swung about and into an overhead strike.

As my sword clashed with Caesar's black blade and, as we grappled, something very odd happened.

My weapon seemed to shimmer and then, in the space of a second, it elongated, becoming thinner, changing form until instead of a celestial bronze sword, I now held a very familiar hunting spear—a spear with a dark shaft and pitch-black Stygian Iron head.

It was Orion's spear.

_What in the name of..._

The sudden change caused Caesar's blade to lurch forward and I used his momentum to leapfrog over his head and then jump back several feet for safety.

I backed around over to my father as dozens of Caesar's zombified minions encroached upon us.

I wasn't sure if it was some inbuilt Hunter's ability to use this kind of weapon, but I didn't bother to question how it almost felt as at home in my hands as my bow did.

I twirled the spear handle around in my fingers as if I'd done it a million times before and grabbed the shaft in both hands, slashing out in a semi-circle at the enemy.

As the blade sliced through them, each of the undead erupted into blue flame, collapsing harmlessly into a pile of dust.

The remaining number backed quickly off, hesitating.

"Where in Hades did you get _that_?" asked Hippolytus, gaping slightly as he blocked another blow from Marcus.

I shook my head. "I have absolutely no idea."

"Hey, it has a tag on it," he said, nodding at a small label tied just under the head with a bit of string. He booted Marcus clear long enough to tilt his head and read it whilst I used the shaft to force back the undead as they began to advance again. "_If you're reading this..._ _then_ y_ou officially owe me,"_ he read with a curious frown. "_Signed... Clarisse La Rue?"_

It was funny how, even though immense gratitude was what I felt in that moment, I still found myself complaining. "Little alterations. _Little, _she said!"

"I'm afraid I don't follow." said Hippolytus a second before Marcus shoulder charged him to the floor.

"Never mind," I sighed, spinning the hunting spear about in my hand and rounding on Caesar, whose air of superiority seemed to have momentarily left him.

"_How... How DARE you?"_snarled the dictator. "_You will see what happens to those who defy the will of Caesar!"_ At his words, clouds of dust erupted around him and seconds later undead seemed to occupy every free inch of the stage and surrounding stalls.

My father and I backed up to each other, weapons raised.

Marcus turned to Caesar, an angry look on his face. "_I do not need help in this fight, Julius! Dismiss these abominations and let me continue!"_

"_Silence!"_ barked the dictator. "_If you will not tell me what I need to know, then I will have you torn limb from limb and then simply find out what I need to know_after _you have died."_

"What do you think?" I asked my father.

My father's gaze swept our surroundings. "I will admit... I'm not thrilled with the odds."

A reluctant smile spread across my face. "Come now, I'm sure we've both been in worse scrapes."

Hippolytus cocked his head. "None spring to mind...And I was once dragged to death by horses."

I sighed. "Fighting to death against insurmountable odds..."

Hippolytus smiled grimly. "That's what we live for. Now let's do it with some _class_! For Artemis!"

We both roared in triumph and attacked. My father's slender blade sliced at blinding speeds, decapitating and dismembering as he moved and dodged about his enemies with not a single wasted movement.

I swung my dark spear, cutting a swath of destruction through my opponents. The black tip instantly turned all it touched to flame like a great arc of blazing destruction. I cried out in pain as something sharp stabbed into my left shoulder from behind.

I felt whatever held the weapon go limp and a severed arm holding a rusted broadsword flew by my peripheral vision a second later.

My speed was greatly reduced as I began finding it hard to effectively swing my weapon with both arms. Nicks and gashes began to build up as the enemy became bolder and pushed past my defenses.

I noticed Marcus had re-entered the fray once my father had cleared a decent space about himself and immediately reengaged him in battle.

We were fighting a never-ending battle; the numbers of the undead would thin and then swell again as they were simply reinforced once more.

_End it now; there is no way you can keep this up!_

I looked past my enemies and saw Caesar, his outline was glowing a bright ethereal blue as he fought to maintain his forces.

_But…history…_

_This is a battle to the death! Screw history!_

_You're the boss…_

I cleared a small space about myself and flipped the spear into my right hand. Rearing back, I hurled it directly at Caesar through his troops.

His meat shields exploded into dust as the spear passed through them with all the resistance of bursting bubbles.

A second later I heard a sickening '_thunk'_ and suddenly all the undead froze.

An instant later, and all together, every zombie in Caesar's force exploded, filling the courtyard with a massive cloud of dust and blue flame.

The smoke settled, and then there was silence.

Marcus and my father paused in their fight, blades still locked together as they looked unsurely about at this latest development.

Caesar was still standing, one hand braced on his knee and Stygian sword held limply in his left hand.

The spear was embedded in his shoulder.

He didn't look happy.

_Well... at least he's alive._

"_Caesar!"_ called Marcus

Caesar raised a hand to halt him and then reached up to grab the spear with this free limb.

He released his sword and pulled the spear with both hands.

There was a nasty squelching sound as he tore it free and tossed it to the ground in front of him.

It rolled towards me, shimmering and morphing back into a sword as it did so.

I retrieved the weapon as Caesar quickly pulled a small flask from his belt. He uncorked it and splashed nectar over the wound, stemming the blood as he then drank the remaining small amount.

I noticed he was breathing heavily as he pulled his sword back up. There was also a visible sheen of sweat on his face.

The nectar may have given him a small boost, but he was obviously heavily drained by the extensive use of his powers.

He pressed the heel of his shoe on his sword's pommel and flipped it back into the air, catching it and immediately retaking his stance.

"_That wound still hasn't healed, Julius."_I said as I readied a matching fighting stance.

He smirked nastily, "_You don't look very good__yourself."_

_Relax... Stay calm and stay focused. You can take him. He's too exhausted to keep using his powers like he was before._

I eyed the pouch on his robe where he had slipped the shard earlier.

I switched back to English, "Keep Marcus occupied. I can beat Caesar and get that shard if I can manage to wear him down, but I don't stand a chance against Marcus. My track record against children of Ares isn't exactly good, even when I'm at my best."

_Not good? You've never beaten Clarisse once._

_Shut up._

"Don't worry. I'll keep him busy," he said. I glanced over, getting a proper look at him for the first time since the fight began. It was only now that I noticed he wasn't exactly spic and span himself. His robes were torn, his long hair was matted with blood, and there were a few nasty cuts on him, including a particularly cringe worthy gash down his right arm.

Marcus had a swollen eye and several cuts, though thanks to him not being in a battle with the undead, he was otherwise unharmed.

I turned back to Caesar. Abruptly, he stepped to the side, and then vanished.

_What the-_

_To the right!_

I had less than a millisecond to lean back as a black blade shot out of the shadows, missing my throat by a fraction of an inch; Caesar shot out after and caught me with a shoulder barge on my injured side.

I fought through the stabbing pain and flipped my sword into the other hand just in time as Caesar spun about, swinging his sword on a horizontal arc.

My guard faltered as he reversed direction, spinning about and attacking me from the other side.

He pulled back around and planted a foot flat into my chest, sending me onto my back.

My sword clattered to the floor nearby as he drove down with his sword.

I spun myself up on my uninjured shoulder, twirling back onto my feet and hitting him with a sidekick that sent him reeling backwards.

I was on him, behind his guard. A left cross caught him on the chin and he flailed back as I turned about and slammed the back of my head into his face.

I felt something _crack_ and Julius suddenly cried out in pain. I quickly retrieved my sword and saw Caesar take a moment to cradle his newly broken nose.

I didn't have a second's reprieve. I heard the sound of the air being disturbed to my right seconds before a foot kicked me in the lower back, sending me sprawling forward an instant before Marcus Antonius' sword could separate me from my head.

I looked up at my father, who had saved me by kicking me out of the way, as he grappled with his opponent.

"_That was beneath you, Marcus,"_ growled Hippolytus. One of his hands grappled with Marcus' as the Roman tried to force back the hilt of his opponent's sword with his free hand.

Marcus snarled as he tried to bring his sword about, "_Unfortunately,_ _that's the rule of the game for people like me: Duty before__honor."_

My father inclined his head acceptingly. "_I can__respect that; however, I'm afraid I've run out of time for games."_

To emphasize his point, he released Marcus' fist and struck him in the face with the back of his hand.

Using the second of disorientation he had caused, Hippolytus leaned back and hit the Roman with a sidekick, pushing him back further and then springing into a swift double roundhouse kick that had Marcus staggering back on his heels.

Hippolytus landed, braced one foot behind him and drove a fist under his opponent's chin.

I caught the almost disbelieving look on the Roman general's face as he was lifted off the ground and thrown back through the air, unconscious before even hitting the floor.

Hippolytus' arms dropped to his sides as he gasped for breath. "I'm _really_ out of shape..." Suddenly his eyes flicked to me and a flash of panic went over his features. "Armani, behind!"

Time seemed to slow as I turned just in time to see Caesar raising his blade up to attack, his body twisted mid-strike.

And then two things happened, each of which would've solved the crisis fine individually; together, however, they were a little _too_ effective.

My hand caught the hilt of my sword and I spun it up to guard, and in the same second I caught sight of a shadow passing over my head as the cylindrical sheathe of my father's sword spun through the air and struck Caesar perfectly in the back of the leg.

I heard my heart beat in my ears as Caesar tripped and fell backwards in slow motion. My eyes flicked to my still upturned sword and I had that moment of panic; like when you drop a coffee cup and have just enough time to know what's about to happen and then just enough to know there's not a damn thing you can do to prevent the inevitable _smash_.

The _smash_ in this case manifested into a sickening _squelch_ as Caesar's back was impaled on my sword.

Everything seemed to freeze dead as I stared wide-eyed at the sight before me. My thought processes managed to restart themselves a second later; however, all my brain seemed to be able to provide me with was:

_Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…_

My mouth was no more helpful. The only thing it managed to come up with was:

"...Oops?"

_Eloquent as ever._

I blinked.

_I just... Oh my god-_

_Stop saying that!_

_I just... stabbed Caesar in the back!_

The spell broke and I pushed Caesar off my sword and scrambled back onto my feet and up to my father.

Hippolytus was looking down, rubbing his chin and humming ponderingly. "You know... I don't think you meant to do that."

I turned my head, gaping at him. "No...No, father, I did NOT mean to do that! What could possibly possess you to make you think that I-"

"Lord Caesar!" Came the cry of one of the politicians who had been watching in the wings as he rushed over to the fallen man and crouched down by him and holding him in his arms, the others slowly emerging after him. "Oh, by the gods...He's-"

The greying man was cut off by a sudden, pained "Oooohhh" from the supposedly dead man.

I breathed a sudden gasp of relief over the fact that he wasn't dead as his body began moving slightly.

As opposed to the relief I expected, the senator holding Caesar suddenly looked panicked, his eyes flashing to his companions, who merely shrugged.

The man holding Caesar turned back, plastering that distraught look back on his face. "Oh, by the gods. Our great leader is fading, on the edge of death!"

"I'm _not_ dying," groaned the dictator.

"Ummm...Oh, our great leader, surely mortally wounded in this-"

"It was just a flesh wound!" snapped Caesar irritably.

The man went on. "Ah, and delirious from his surely life-threatening-"

"I think I'll get up," butted in Caesar again as he shuffled and tried to disentangle himself.

The man rolled his eyes. "And just as our great dictator was about to pull through..." suddenly I caught the glint of silver as the man produced a dagger from inside his robes, "Lord Pluto himself reached out with his icy hand to claim him!" and with that, the man drove the dagger into the dictator's back.

The other men suddenly rushed over, drawing their own weapons and began stabbing the fallen man in various spots.

The look on Caesar's face, as well as I could see it, was not one of pain but rather total bewilderment. If I didn't know better, I would say that the overwhelming emotion was incredible irritation.

Another man reached down and drove a dagger into the fallen leader's body just as Caesar raised a weak hand up.

"Et tu, Brut-AACHKK!"

The group of assailants backed off, leaving the fallen man in a pool of blood. They regarded him and then seemed to dust themselves down, as if glad of a job well done.

My sword hung limply at my side as my father and I stood in stark disbelief.

"Well..." said my father after a moment. "It's a bit difficult to know what to say..."

I simply nodded slowly in agreement.

Hippolytus coughed and nudged me with his shoulder. I flinched and looked back at him, "Hm?"

He nodded at Caesar's body as the other men backed away. "Do you not think it wise to..." he trailed off, nodding again at the body.

I caught his meaning but was still a little too stunned to speak. I walked over and bent down, gingerly reaching into the pouch on Caesar's, belt and found the stolen shard, quickly tucking it into my robes.

And it was in that instant that the sound clattering of armor filled the chamber.

The senators looked up and then whipped their arms behind their backs to conceal their daggers.

My head snapped round to the doorway just as Caesar's personal guard poured onto the stage area.

They all halted dead in utter shock as their eyes fell on their fallen leader.

I followed the soldiers' gazes as they went questioningly to the men at the back of the room.

The politicians' backs were rigid and they spared each other a glance and suddenly, in perfect synchronization, I found twelve fingers pointing eagerly in my direction.

I followed the gazes of soldiers again as they went back to me, then to Caesar, and finally to the bloodied sword I held in my hand.

I looked at my sword, down to the body in front of me and up to the troops.

In that instant I finally found my voice again, but all that came out was a resounding, and extremely exasperated, "Oh, _come on!_"

My father stepped quickly forward and rested a hand on my shoulder. "Worry not; I will get us out of this conundrum. I know just what to say." I stepped back readily, trusting to his thousands of years of experience.

He raised his hands and turned to the troops.

"_Gentlemen...This is not what it looks like."_

Extreme restraint stopped me from facepalming myself with my own sword.

"_If it is the real assailants you seek,_ _I think you will find that it was in fact the senators who killed the dictator, and not the stranger holding the sword over his body."_

The guards froze and just regarded him with very blank expressions.

Hippolytus turned back to me. "You know, I'm not entirely sure they believed me._"_

"NAH!" I bellowed, "What _ever_ gave you that idea?"

One of the senators, taking the initiative, pointed a shaking finger at us and commanded as loudly as possible, "_Kill them!"_

This obviously seemed like a perfectly stellar idea to the guards, as they immediately prepared to rush us.

_Snap out of it!_

"You go right, I'll go left!" I shouted quickly, crouching slightly in preparation to spring.

Hippolytus nodded and complied immediately. Just as the guards took their first step we dashed off to their sides.

None of them knew where to look, so when we shoved them violently into each other they ended up in a tangle of armor and flailing limbs.

We jumped back as Hippolytus looked up. "I see! And now that we have them flanked, we fight against our worthy foes to the bitter end!"

"No," I responded. "And now we run away."

"Run away?" he frowned.

"Run away!" I shouted and dashed for the exit.

"_Run away_!" he replied in hurried agreement as we bravely beat a swift retreat.

"_After them!"_shouted the senators. "_Kill the murderers!"_

We turned a corner as we sprinted through the corridors and passages that made up the theatre complex.

"We have to get back to the others and get out of here!" I said as we curved into the temple area.

"Yes, and then I think it best you answer some of my questions. As you might guess, I have many."

"Mortal danger now, answers later!"

He nodded his head. "Very well..." He skidded to a halt by an alcove. "A moment!" he said, leaning inside.

"What is it?" I said, looking nervously back as the sound of commotion started coming from all directions.

He emerged, his hands full. He tossed one of the long hooded robes worn by the priestesses over to me, "Here: disguises."

"Good idea..." I mumbled grudgingly as I grabbed the garment and slipped it quickly on.

My father pulled the hood of his chief priestess' robe up. "And now, I think, a brisk stroll outside."

I pulled my hood high over my head and we walked as calmly and quickly as we could in the opposite direction of all the shouting.

-?-

"_So what do you think?_" asked Percy as they leaned around the edge of the prison wall. "_Front door?"_

Aren glanced at the main entrance at the top of the steps. Her eyes flicked to the side entrance across the courtyard, judging the options. "_We'll circle around by the main entrance and see if it's deserted; if not, we carry on around to the other way in."_

"_I agree,"_said Theia quietly. "_Basium and Complexo can hear quite a lot of commotion coming from inside; voices, all shouting together, orders for killing and pursuit."_

"_Then it would seem your friend has attracted attention we could've done without,"_ said Aemilia. "_Best go in__prepared."_She unsheathed the short sword she had taken from the incapacitated guard.

"_There's no need for you two to keep risking your lives,"_said Percy.

Aemilia rolled her eyes. "_We're involved as it is.__Besides, if I let Theia's friend in there get killed I'd never here the end of it.__You think she's a madwoman now, you should see her when she throws a temper tantrum."_

"_I dispute the implication!"_

"_May we save this for another time?"_ interrupted the black cat tiredly.

His female counterpart stretched. "_Yes. If we must carry on with this insanity, may we at least get it over with quickly?"_

"_I suppose we have no choice,"_ sighed Aren, drawing her bow from her bag and grasping a pair of arrows as Percy drew Riptide.

Together, they edged along the side of the courtyard and towards the main doors, all knowing they might be heading into a veritable lion's den.

-A-

"Quick, it's out this way!" I said, breaking into a sprint now as the entrance came into sight. The noise of the guards was getting uncomfortably close.

We shot out of the doorway and into the light a second later and, to my surprise, went barreling into the welcome forms of Aren and Percy, who appeared to be in the midst of sneaking in the way we were coming out.

"What in the name of Artemis!" moaned Aren as she pulled herself up.

Percy groaned as he staggered to his feet. "Did I just get floored by a monk?"

I threw my hood back. "_It's us!"_

Aren's eyes lit up slightly. "_Armani! You made it! Did you find the shard?"_

I whipped out the metal fragment and handed it to her so she could stow it safely in her bag.

"Why, Miss Aren, did you change your hair?" my father asked suddenly.

Aren frowned and didn't look up as she put the item in her pack. "What are you talking about? It's been like this for the past five-" She halted and looked up at my father. "You're talking English! But that would mean-"

"_Yes, yes,"_I droned, switching back to Latin for the sake of our companions. "_He's found his marbles. Now can we please get clear of__here?"_

Hippolytus reached inside his robe and pulled out a large bundle. "_Here, I borrowed these. I think it wise we all disguise ourselves until we get to reasonable safety."_

The others looked at each other in confusion, but complied anyway. _"I don't see what the rush is. We dealt with the__guard in the__jail;__we should be okay until we get away,"_said Aren as she pulled her hood up.

I glanced back nervously. "_Ahh, about that...Things have taken, shall we say, a slightly more serious turn in recent moments."_

Percy flipped up his hood. "_What do you mean? Did you have some trouble getting back the-"_

He was abruptly cut off, when a shrill female voice echoed from inside the theatre. "_By the gods!_Caesar is dead_!"_

The others went quiet, their heads turning towards the voice.

Very slowly, they turned back to me again.

"Ummmm..." I managed.

"_Armani!"_gasped Aren in disbelief.

"_Hey!"_I objected. "_Don't look at me! I didn't do it._"

"_He speaks the truth. It was not he who killed Caesar,"_ Hippolytus confirmed calmly.

"_Armani..."_ Aren repeated in a low, suspicious tone.

"_Hey! He said it wasn't me!"_

"_Indeed, the fatal blow came from the senators. In fact, Armani only stabbed him once."_

"_Armani!"_snapped Aren again.

"_Aren; stop saying my name!__Father; not helping!"_

"_Caesar is dead,"_mumbled Theia to herself, though if she was startled by the revelation then she hid it brilliantly well.

"_Regardless,"_ I said. "_We need to get out of here, fast. We can talk it through later."_

I noticed Aemilia was looking past us, her hood down as she frowned at something. "_What do you suppose_she's_looking at?"_

I could hear guards running into the corridors nearby. I fixed my hood and turned around to look out into the courtyard at whatever Aemilia had sighted.

And then, despite the fact that automobiles would not be invented for an extremely long time, I experienced a perfect 'Deer in headlights' moment.

Standing perfectly still in the middle of the square, gaze fixed on the silver bow in Aren's hand, was a familiar hooded figure.

_To be continued…_


	10. Chapter 10: Paradox

**The Lost Prince**

**Chapter 10: Paradox**

"_Who is that?_" asked Percy. He leaned around to look at the still form that was watching us calmly, blocking our path.

"_Oh, please, not now..."_said my father quietly as he regarded the form, echoing my own thoughts. Obviously with his memories back he recognized the hooded figure.

I looked back; the guards' shadows were visible in the corridor behind us.

I turned my gaze back to the hooded form of Zoë Nightshade.

"_Your bow!"_I hissed to Aren. She glanced at the weapon and back at me from under her robe. "_Hide it! Don't let her get a good look."_

She frowned but slipped the weapon back under her cloak as she leaned up to me. "Do you know who it is?" she asked in a whisper.

I looked sidelong at the girl in the square and could see from here the piercing gaze glinting from under that hood. I considered not telling Aren, worrying how she might take the news; however, something told me it would be simply wrong for her not to know. "_It's__Zoë,"_I whispered back after a moment.

"_Zoë?"_gasped Aren, turning about to look at me and then back at the hooded figure blocking our path.

She regarded Zoë in dead silence for a second. My hand slipped under the arm of her robe and gripped her hand once, gently. It seemed as if it she had been waiting for it, as she gripped me back appreciatively and without hesitation.

"_Did you say-"_ Percy trailed off and I saw his face under his hood. He looked somewhat pale. I couldn't guess the storm of emotions going through either demigod or Huntress in that moment.

I glanced quickly at Aren; she tensed as Zoë drew back her hood. And I think I could finally understand the feelings etched on both Percy and Aren's features. They were seeing a dear friend they wanted nothing more than to greet happily and embrace, but they simply couldn't.

It seemed it was up to me to be the voice of reason.

It was a refreshing change.

"_We might have to go through her,"_I said quickly. "_It's either that or face an entire__battalion__of guards."_

A humorless laugh escaped Percy. "_Tough choice..."_

A smile twitched at my lips. "_Isn't it just. She's here probably because my mother sensed something. I can sense her clearly now. Whatever interference that was coming from Hippolytus seems to be fading quickly. I'm not sure what my range is just now, but luckily she seems to be the only other Hunter in the area besides__Aren."_

"_I don't get it. Who is she?"_demanded Aemilia.

I inclined my head. "_You're looking at Zoë Nightshade, lieutenant of Lady Diana, daughter of the Titan Atlas."_

"_That's one Hesperid who's far from home," _said Theia with a nod.

I inclined my head in reply. "_True, and she also happens to be one of the most fearsome__fighters I've ever met. Even now, she's probably got centuries of combat experience under her belt."_

"_So what do you suggest?"_enquired my father urgently.

I took a calming breath. "_Just follow my lead,"_I said, and began calmly walking down the steps and then slowly pacing across the square towards the waiting girl, the others following uncertainly.

"So... we just go walking right up to her?_"_whispered Percy in English. "What kind of plan is that?_"_

"Just keep calm and pretend nothing is wrong. Pretend there's nothing for her to be suspicious about_."_

"Will that work?_"_

"Probably not._"_

"_Great plan_. And then what do we do?"

I shrugged. "...I'll get back to you on that."

The others seemed to have caught my lead and were acting as if we were just crossing the square like any normal members of the public.

Zoë's brow creased slowly into a frown as we closed, deepening into a full scowl as we turned to pass innocently around her.

"_Stop."_ Her voice wasn't loud, but still caused us to flinch and halt dead as if someone had clapped their hands in our faces.

We glanced warily at each other as Zoë tilted her head to try and get a better look at Aren. "_Who are you?"_

Aren visibly flinched and took a step backwards.

Zoë's brow twitched. "_Your bow... that was the bow of a Hunter. Tell me... are you one of my sisters?" _she asked quietly, as if trying not to startle her.

"_Umm..."_stammered Aren.

Thankfully, that was when the guards chose to burst free of the entrance.

Zoë looked past us as one of the guards looked long and hard at us. Only then did I realize that our disguises were pretty lame. The cloaks we wore were open at the front, and didn't disguise much more than our heads.

He stabbed a finger at us. "_It's them!__Caesar's murderers!"_

_It's okay, so long as we get away and don't cause anyone else to get in-_

"_That girl must be their__accomplice!"_shouted another.

"_Kill her too!"_ called a third.

_Oh, for the love of..._

Zoë's jaw dropped in shock as the guards moved to circle around us, raising their weapons.

"_Okay guys, new plan..."_I said.

"_Run?"_ asked Percy.

"_Run!_" I agreed hurriedly as we made to run in the opposite direction.

We'd gotten barely a few feet when we noticed that Zoë was still standing there in bewilderment. "_Were you born without a brain?"_ I shouted urgently. "_Run for it!"_

She shot me a glare out the corner of her eye. "_I have done nothing. And I don't take orders from boys." _

"_Don't have time for this," _I growled through gritted teeth. _"Aren, give me one of those arrows!"_ I nodded to the pair of arrows gripped in her hand, recognizing the design of the arrowhead.

Her eyes went wide. "_You can't be-"_ I cut her off by snatching one from her and, in one fluid movement, swung about, summoned my bow, and fired it at almost point-blank range at Zoë.

Her hand moved with lightning speed for her dagger, but obviously she was unfamiliar with this particular customisation as it quickly exploded into a lattice of weighted ropes which had her completely ensnared into a neat and quite irritated bundle on the ground.

Wasting no more time I slung the irate Hunter over my shoulder and made my escape.

"_What are you doing?" _asked Percy incredulously, looking out from under his hood.

I shook my head, "_I don't know!" _I shouted desperately, _"I Panicked!"_

_-_A-

We made several twists and turns, managing to lose the more encumbered guards easily. The word seemed to be spreading though and every guard we saw seemed to be on alert.

Oh, and you know what? Turns out Zoe Nightshade doesn't _appreciate _being lugged around like a sack of potatoes by a bunch of people just accused of murdering a high ranking government official.

And _boy_ did this girl know how to swear.

"_Will you stop shouting for just one minute?" _I barked at her over my shoulder as I kept pace with the others, "_And stop kicking me there!"_

She didn't acquiesce to my request. If anything it would appear I had inspired her to do the exact opposite. And so, after making sure I got some lasting bruises and then making several threats implying my imminent evisceration, I was becoming tempted to just throw her at the guards.

"_Will somebody __**please**_ _do something about her?" _I practically cried.

Aemilia groaned and reached up, grabbing the thrashing Zoe by the neck. I caught a flash of blue out the corner of my eye and suddenly the captive Hunter went blissfully still and silent.

I practically gasped with relief, "_Thank you."_

She nodded, "_My pleasure, now do you have any idea where we are supposed to be going?"_

We skidded to a halt and I took a moment to massage my upper legs on the spot where I would no doubt be soon sporting some nasty black and blue marks.

I handed Zoe to my father, "_Here, you can carry her for a while."_

He nodded his head and wearily took her from me, "_Miss Aemilia raises a valid point. Where shall we go?"_

I dwelled on it. Sure, we could vanish there and then, but we would be leaving the two priestesses to the slaughter. "_We have to get to safety first."_

"_And then?"_ Sacra hopped down from the rooftops, where she had been running along beside us.

"_And then we'll..."_I hesitated, shaking my head. "_We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."_

"_We should head to the temple of Diana first. Zoe should be fine there. We can probably stay hidden among the temples for a little while." _said Aren.

I nodded at the Huntress, "_How long will she be out?"_

"_I just stunned her a little. A normal person will start to come around in about half an hour."_

I frowned, "_Considering whom it is, I'd say we've got less. Let's move."_

Theia nodded approvingly, decidedly untroubled, and scratched Sacra beneath the chin. The cat purred.

-A-

We sprinted as best we could down the back alleys and gaps of the buildings, making a beeline back to the temple district. The two cats circled ahead, mapping the safest path while Theia lead the way.

The girl now being carried by my father was starting to stir slightly.

We skidded to a halt near a white marble building. A statue of my mother loomed in front of the entryway. Marble or not, I found myself giving it a wide birth as we entered. Like many of the other temples, this one seemed deserted, at least for now. I suspected a city-wide emergency had by now been declared.

My father sliced free Zoe's bonds and laid her down on the bench by the altar. By now she just seemed to be snoozing and I suspected it wouldn't be long before she was up and out for revenge.

The others took a second to take a breather. Percy slumped down on a nearby seat, Aren leaning against the pillar while Theia looked outside, her eyes sweeping the area for guards. Aemilia was pacing, her arms folded and an irritated look on her face, as if she were wondering where she should start laying blame for the whole mess.

My fingers drummed against the marble as I assessed the situation.

"Are you okay?" asked Aren quietly.

I sighed. "Fine, always just fine," I mumbled, trying to think out any way to save the two demigods we had gotten caught up in this whole debacle.

I noticed her take a step closer, her hand gripping mine for just a brief second. "Well, you know where I am if you ever need me."

I blinked in surprise, a weak but appreciative smile tugging on my face. "Thanks."

She smiled back, but there was a sad, longing look in her eyes as she regarded the unconscious girl. "…Why does it hurt so much to see her again?" she whispered after a moment. "I mean, part of me is so happy to see her alive and well that I could cry, but..."

I rested my hand on her arm. "She'll live another two thousand years yet. There aren't many who can boast that with certainty."

"You don't suppose-"

"No," I cut in firmly. "I don't."

Her brow twitched. "You don't even know what I was going to say," she whispered back defensively.

I sighed. "I do. You were thinking, what if we warn her now, maybe then she might still be alive when we return to our own time."

She averted her eyes, studying the ground. "...Is that so wrong?"

"Not just to think it. Who wouldn't? However, for all we know, warning her could cause her to be uncertain at some critical point in her life, be too cautious or not cautious enough. She could die earlier, or her survival could somehow alter the outcome of the war against the Titans. I know it's a horrible thing to say, but fate cannot be altered in such a drastic way." I exhaled a tired breath. "_Regardless... we should get moving."_

"_You sound urgent,"_said Theia suddenly, breaking the calm silence she had maintained for some time.

"_Like I said, it's best we get out of here before Zoë wakes up."_

She glanced back at me over her shoulder, her eyes narrowing slightly. "_Is that the only reason?"_

I regarded her silently. Her eyes seemed to be challenging me. "_No,_" I replied after a moment without elaboration.

A tiny wisp of a smile tugged at her lips at the response as she turned back to her vigil.

_She already knows..._

I frowned as I regarded her from behind. I wasn't sure how I knew, but considering her cats had worked me out so far, I'd hazard a guess that they'd shared the information with their mistress.

_She knows, and the concept amuses her._

"_So they told you, did they?"_ I asked out loud.

Theia didn't turn around. "_Of course they did._"

"_What are you two on about?"_ asked Aemilia, her tone still irritable.

Theia glanced at her for a second and then back again. "_Oh, he just wanted to check and see if I knew that he was the immaculate child of Lady Diana - or Artemis, as he still calls her, or_will_call her, or...this__concept is confusing."_

_Stupid psychic cats..._ I shot a withering glare at the black tom, who shrunk back against his partner. She curled around him protectively.

"_Please don't say any more,"_I said tiredly, rubbing my brow.

Aemilia, however, didn't seem content with leaving that revelation unaddressed. "_He's a son of WHO?"_

Theia shrugged. "_Diana. You know; the little one who likes playing in the woods."_

Thunder crackled in the distance and my brow twitched reflexively.

Aemilia gritted her teeth. "_I know who she _is_.__I meant, how is that possible?"_

Theia tapped a dark, painted nail on her chin. "_I really don't know... I didn't get that much."_

Aemilia turned to look at me. "_Is it true?"_

Theia shrugged again. "_I said it,__so of course it is."_

The daughter of Jupiter flashed the other priestess a dark look. "_You don't _lie._ That doesn't mean you don't get things _wrong_. Remember the incident with the unicorn horn?"_

Theia waved a dismissive hand. "_A minor error on my part."_

"_That's not what they called it in court..."_

"_Really, you turn a few people into animals with a cursed unicorn horn and people never let you live it down."_

Percy, Aren and I looked at each other in bewilderment. I edged over to Divus. "_Let me guess: you used to be king of some far-off land before you met her."_

His tail swished over the marble irritably. "_No, I was always this way. I was, however, a far _saner_ feline before Lady Veritas entrusted us to her."_

"_I heard that,"_muttered Theia.

Aemilia shook her head. "_You're taking me off track! Was she right or not?"_she demanded, turning back to me.

I hesitated, glancing at the others. Unfortunately, this seemed to be all the confirmation she needed. She flung her hands up. "_And the day gets madder and madder. You want to tell me why you're so desperate to get away from Diana's lieutenant if you're her mistress' son?"_

"_Oh, that part's simple,"_ said Theia as dismissively as usual. A sinking feeling went through me as she continued. "_He doesn't want to be seen because he hasn't been born yet."_

"_Theia!"_I snapped a little louder than I intended. Glancing warily at the dark street outside and back, I lowered my voice to a harsh whisper. "_That's enough!"_

Aemilia was looking at Theia as if she'd just been informed that the world was really some kind of virtual reality built by robots.

"_...What?"_

Theia turned about, leaning back against the pillar. She pointed a finger at me. "_Both_ _him,"_ she then pointed the digit at Percy and my father in turn, "_Him,"_ Her finger hovered frozen at my father, and I noticed a slight sadness creep into her eyes. "_You too?"_she paused to ask.

My father seemed hesitant, but after a moment he inclined his head and responded gravely, almost apologetically. "_Yes, miss Theia, me too."_

I noticed he had dropped the 'mistress' from her name as she smiled weakly. "_Yes... him and her,"_ she finished, pointing at Aren, "_are not from our time. They come from the future."_

Aemilia looked at her blankly.

"_What?"_she repeated.

Theia sighed. "_I'm__not sure how to describe it. I've never thought of the concept before. Imagine being able to move from today and jump into the world of tomorrow. Well, they come from a tomorrow; in fact they come from many tomorrows away."_

I rubbed my brow tiredly. This was precisely the sort of thing we were supposed to avoid. This time it wasn't a gang of robbers or a legendary demigod that had been dropped on us, but a crazy priestess, two psychic cats and a dead politician.

_There's an anecdote in there, I'm sure..._

"_That's...insane,"_ gasped Aemilia.

"Tell me about it,_"_grumbled Aren under her breath.

Aemilia glanced at us. "_Well, how many...how many 'yesterdays'_ _did you travel through to get here?"_

My father, obviously seeing the gig as being up, replied, "_I come from about two thousand years in the future. My friends here are the same, I think, though a little ahead of me."_

Theia nodded ponderingly. "_That's a lot of tomorrows..."_She turned to regard my father. "_But why did you come here?"_

Percy spoke up now. "_We came__looking for him,"_he said, nodding at Hippolytus. "_But we sort of didn't know that at the start."_

My father shook his head. "_I don't know_how_it happened..."_

"_I do,"_ I cut in suddenly. "_At least... I have a very good idea. You were saying earlier that you received a strange Iris Message, something about a Divine Forestry Commission. Tell me what happened then. May as well sort this out while we've got a second."_

My father raised his eyebrows. "_It was a simple message: a proposal to put in place several__preservation orders to prevent the destruction of masses of forestland that are home to many numbers of rare mythical beasts whose habitats are now being threatened by mortal logging__campaigns. The message requested a meeting to discuss the issue with a representative__of Lady Artemis."_

I nodded as it began to dawn. "_And you being you-"_

He shrugged. "_I agreed readily. The mistress was otherwise occupied with her annual solstice celebrations-"_

"-_Which Lady Artemis_said_you could attend,"_ Aren cut in hotly.

Hippolytus waved her off. "_I was busy cleaning."_

"_You're_always_busy cleaning."_

"_I'm an eternal temple attendant, what else would I be busy doing?"_

"_Moving right along,"_I butted in with a sigh.

"_Right, as__I was saying: There I was; it seemed like a splendid__concept and there was no harm in at least hearing what this gentleman had to say."_

"_No harm?"_I echoed. "_You get a shady anonymous message and just go along?"_

He shrugged._"Well, I was assured there would be no horses around."_

Percy frowned, seeming slightly offended. "_What's wrong__with horses?"_

Hippolytus paled a little. "_Let's just say I had a bad experience once..."_He shook his head and continued. "_Well, the place he wanted to meet me wasn't far away, just a few blocks according to the map by the elevator. And so I picked out some modern clothes-"_

"_Makes a change...__He hasn't updated his wardrobe in two hundred years,"_ Aren butted in again.

My father scowled. "_I haven't left Olympus in two hundred years. I must say, everything's gotten so tall since I last went out. Tall and loud..."_

"_Two hundred years?"_ asked Percy. "_You hadn't left the Empire State Building in two hundred years?"_

Hippolytus shrugged. "_I wasn't even aware that's where we were at the time. But Apollo enjoyed keeping me up to date on modern culture...despite the mistress' repeated objections. So I knew what to expect.__I know about you kids, and how everything is all 'radical' and 'bodacious', and about your pop music and Tetris video games."_

I suppressed a very loud groan.

_Typical... I finally meet my father, after all these years, and what do I get?_ _80's dad._

"Um…Yeah. Sounds about right." Percy was trying his best not to snicker.

"_And so I put on a suit, called a yellow carriage-"_

"_-Taxi,"_corrected Aren.

"_That's what I said. And I was taken swiftly to my destination. However, I did have to pass through a__narrow walkway between the buildings as a shortcut. This turned out to be unwise, as__en route__I was__accosted by some highwaymen-"_

"-_You were mugged,"_ corrected Aren again.

"_That's what I_said. _But their small daggers were no match for my blade and I quickly felled them."_

"_You killed them?"_enquired Aren.

"_No, but one did lose a leg. And soon after that I made it to my destination."_

"_Just be thankful he didn't stop for a hotdog..."_I muttered. "_And I assume you met the strange 'benefactor'?"_

He nodded his head. "_He seemed a very pleasant sort to start off with.__Mr Goldman... that was his name."_

This time I couldn't suppress the groan. "_Oh, you've got to be kidding me..."_

My father paused. "_What's wrong?"_

I paused to massage my sinuses. "_That wasn't his real__name;__tell me you've grasped that much..."_

He regarded me blankly. "_Do you know who he was?"_

I inclined my head. "_King Midas."_

Hippolytus' eyebrows rose. "_Oh,"_ he said in surprise. "_OH!_" in comprehension, and then he scowled. "_Oh..."_

"_Got it yet?"_

"_So he wasn't from the-"_

"_Nope."_I replied.

"_And he-"_he sort of indicated his chest.

"_Yup."_

"_And I was-"_

"_Through time, yes."_

He seemed to hesitate. _"...And you?"_

That also gave me pause. I took a long breath. "_That gem Midas stabbed you with absorbed a good portion of__your life force..."_

My father regarded me impassively. "_Carry on."_

"_Midas took the energy he__acquired__from you and launched a surprise attack on Lady Artemis with it. Your energy combined with a portion of__hers. I was the result of that incident."_

He was silent for a long moment as he nodded. "_I see."_

I blinked. "_Y-you do?"_

He nodded. "_I will of course commit suicide immediately."_ At that he went to draw his sword.

Aren's hand shot out and shoved it back into its sheathe. "_What did Lady Artemis tell you__about trying to kill yourself?"_

"_B-but it was my fault! And Lady Artemis-"_

Aren rolled her eyes. "_Please, it barely knocked the wind out of her. Now grow up and stop with the dramatics."_

And like a scolded child, he glumly lowered his weapon.

_He's nuttier than a fruitcake... I can see why they don't let him out much._

_And now you know where you get it from._

_Oh, be quiet._

I was broken out of my reverie when I suddenly found my father scrutinizing me very closely, to the point he was leaning seriously into my personal space. This was something that always tended to disturb me.

I took a step back and he grabbed hold of my chin, tilting my head to the side. "_Amazing. You're like a...mini...me."_

Percy snickered again. I glared at him.

I batted Hippolytus' hand away. "_Yes, fascinating and all. But now that you've cleared that-"_

"_I'm a father,"_he breathed.

I rolled my eyes. "_Yes, that is what it entails, now if we could-"_

"_I have a son..."_

I let out a tired sigh and Aren patted him on the arm, grinning at me. "_Don't__worry; the true horror won't set in until a bit later."_

I frowned at her indignantly. "_Meaning?"_

Hippolytus shook his head incredulously. "_How long, I mean...how_old_are you?"_

I opened my mouth to respond, and then hesitated. "_Physically or chronologically? One is getting increasingly more confusing than the other."_

"_Sixteen,"_ cut in Aren. "_You've been gone over sixteen years."_

"_Sixteen?"_he gaped, silent in shock for another moment. "_...The temples must be_so_untidy."_

Aren's brow twitched. "_That's what worries__you?"_she asked with a sigh. "_Must be genetic...__Don't worry;__Lady Artemis only left one temple untouched. Just so you'd have something to do when you came back. The others are okay."_

He breathed a slight sigh of relief. "_I see. Wait, then who's been keeping them clean?"_

Aren shrugged. "_Well, we have. The Hunters, that is."_

He suddenly looked worried again. "_The horror..."_

Aren scowled at him. "_Hey! We may not be perfectionists, but we did our best."_

"_Still... Sixteen years. Accident or not, that's a long time for me to have vacated my post. Truly: even if Lady Artemis forgives me, Zoë will probably kill me when I get back.__Tell me: has she forgotten about the comb? I honestly thought antler was more__resilient__than that."_

Aren opened her mouth to reply, and suddenly pain and realization washed over her features.

She looked desperately at me and I shook my head slightly. We'd spent long enough discussing the past; it was no time for tears.

_Later, _I mouthed silently to her.

"_Miss Aren, is something wrong?"_ he asked, frowning.

She shook her head abruptly and did her best to smile. "_I-it's nothing. Sorry."_

"_I think it's time we moved on,"_I said. "_We can carry on catching up later. I think we've rested here long enough."_

Hippolytus and the others nodded, Aren looking both relieved and immensely guilty at the same time.

The ginger tabby hopped onto a nearby bench and butted her head gently on the Huntress' thigh. She probably knew exactly what was wrong with Aren, especially considering she'd effectively lied when she said it was 'nothing'.

I paused to regard the slumbering Huntress and tried not to be sad; she had thousands of years and countless adventures yet to come. Hers was a life to be celebrated, not mourned.

I sighed. "_Enough. Let's get moving."_

As we turned to leave and the cat moved to jump down, there was a blur of movement as Zoe's arm lashed out and grabbed a hold of the feline by the throat.

Divus hissed as Zoë, grasping his startled partner by the scruff of the neck, leaped to her feet and backed away. The Huntress' eyes surveyed us coldly, her hand drawing a dagger and holding it to Sacra's throat. The simple act of us having already drawn up our hoods had no doubt saved us a world of trouble.

Aren raised her hands in a calming gesture. "_Zoë, please-_"

"_Silence!"_ she barked, glaring at each of us in turn. "_Who are you?"_

"_Zoë,"_ Aren repeated, her voice level and calm still. "_Just stay calm and put the kitty down._" She paused, and I could've sworn I heard her mutter "_Never thought I'd have to say _that _again…"_

Zoe bared her teeth. "_Assassins... And you would have me caught up with your plot?"_

I let out a tired groan, the act causing Zoë to flinch and tighten her grip on her furry prisoner's scruff. To her credit, the ginger she-cat seemed to be taking it in her stride, hanging glum and disgruntled in the Huntress' grip. "_We didn't kill anybody,"_I said with a sigh. "_In fact, it was pretty much everyone in the room_but_us."_

I heard a slight crackle as Aemilia began to raise a hand. Zoë reacted quickly, pressing the dagger more firmly against the cat's throat. "_Hands down, daughter of Jupiter."_

"_Put her down,"_said Theia calmly, her gaze fixed outside, seemingly undisturbed by the current situation.

"_You will identify yourselves immediately and surrender your arms, if you value the__life of your animal familiar."_

"_No,"_ sighed Theia tiredly.

Zoë's eyebrow twitched. "_You don't care for your followers?"_

The priestess sighed again. "_Oh,_ _I do; very much so. But you're not going to hurt her."_

Zoë scowled at her. "_And what makes you so sure?"_

"_Because I know something you__don't."_

"_And that is?"_

"_That you're bluffing, Zoë Nightshade. I don't like it when people lie to me."_

"_The priestess of truth..."_ said Zoë in a low tone.

Theia inclined her head, still not turning. "_The very same. Now kindly put my cat down. You're making her unhappy."_

I wasn't sure just how right Theia was about what was happening. Zoë very likely didn't _want_ to kill the animal, but if she suddenly decided it was her only way out, then the 'truth' of the situation could change very quickly.

A static discharge cackled up the side of Aemilia's left arm. "_Theia's right-and I truly hope I can get through my life without ever having to utter those two words together in a sentence again-so you__just calm down and let the cat go."_

"_Do not pressure me, priestess."_

Aemilia smirked. _"I could say the same. Now, if there's a brain behind that huge forehead of yours, you'll settle down and we can talk this through."_

Zoe flushed angrily but slowly began to comply. As she crouched down and carefully put the cat on the ground, her other hand drifted behind her back.

The cat slipped free and bolted for its partner. "_It has been a very disagreeable day,"_ she grumbled, tail lashing her sides indignantly.

The tom nuzzled her as she passed. "_Hasn't it just."_

Suddenly, Zoë's hand whipped back in front of her, which caused all of us to defensively go for our weapons. However, it wasn't a blade or bow she withdrew, but something far more troublesome.

It was a horn.

I reached out suddenly, as if I could stop her as she brought it to her lips, but there was no way I had the time to even drop my sword and switch to bow. "_No, don't, don't, don't!"_I yelped in a panic, and guess what?

She chose not to comply.

A long, harmonious note, like the cry of a wolf echoing through a rustling breeze, filled the confined space.

The sound carried on, rebounding and echoing further of the buildings outside.

And I wasn't sure what it was, it could've been the adrenaline, or it could've been the strange sound of the horn, but as she blew it was almost as if she were blowing away the last tiny film of dust coating my senses and from behind it, pinpricks of light began to shine through in my mind. I could feel Aren as clear as day, Zoë too, and out in the distance...

"_Oh no..."_ I breathed.

"_Trouble?"_asked Aren.

I nodded. "_Lots of trouble, and it's now headed right this way."_

"_What does he mean?"_ asked Aemilia quickly.

"_He can sense Hunters,"_ explained Aren. "_How many?"_

I backed slowly away from Zoë, moving towards the entryway. "_Lots. And they're only our secondary concern."_

Aren's eyes widened. I nodded, confirming her unspoken question. "_She's coming."_

I think Percy caught the gist of what we were saying, as he beckoned the others. "_Let's get out of here!"_

"_Stay where you are!"_ shouted Zoë, switching for her dagger. I intercepted her before she could reach Percy and knocked her back with a kick.

We bolted out of the small temple and took to the gaps between the large marble buildings. And guess what else? Turns out blowing a loud horn in a city full of soldiers currently on high alert tends to draw attention.

The air was filled with the sound of cluttering armor as guards filled the streets and began hurriedly searching the temples. The only bonus to this was that the guards probably wouldn't differentiate between Zoë and us, so she'd probably have to be equally cautious.

_Or they could catch and kill her._

_I was _trying_ not to dwell on that concept. _

"_Problem!"_ shouted Aren, looking behind us.

I glanced back and, sure enough, sprinting after us at speeds that would probably make a Cheetah blush was Zoë Nightshade. The Huntress leaped effortlessly over any obstacles in her path like an Olympic Hurdle champion.

"_Why's she chasing us?"_shouted Aemilia as I swung round another corner, trying to choose a path that would keep us as far away from the Hunters as possible whilst also avoiding the hordes of guards, which is not as easily said as done.

"_She's still on a__mission,"_I explained quickly. "_Lady Artemis-Diana, whatever! -__must've sensed something__inside Rome and sent Zoë to investigate."_

"_Well, how does she know it's us?"_

"_It's kind of obvious!" _shouted Percy.

I glanced back. Even as we turned corners and as best we tried to lose her, Zoë was hot on our tail and closing. I knew if she caught just one of us then we'd surely be delayed long enough for either the guards or the Hunters to catch up. I _also_ knew that there was no way we could outrun her as a group. Aren and I were by far the fastest, and while the others all had well above average endurance, they were no match for a Hunter's speed. I came to a decision.

_Are you sure about this?_

A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth at my instinct's almost nervous interruption.

_On a sureness scale of one to ten? About negative six._

"_Aren,"_ I began.

"_What is it?"_

"I'll catch up with you and the others later."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You can't mean-"

"Don't worry," I said quickly. "I can evade the Hunters and outrun the guards. I'll meet you in the alley where we first arrived."

She looked at me for a long moment. "_Stay safe."_

I smiled weakly. "Oh, you know me..." I said, and dug my heels in and skidded to a halt.

"_Armani!"_ I heard Percy shout in surprise.

"_He'll catch up in a while, keep moving!"_shouted Aren, shoving him ahead. I turned my head back forward as our pursuer approached.

Zoë wasn't breaking her pace, and though she raised her dagger, I realized she wasn't intending to stop, only pass by. Her gaze was still fixed on the others, and it occurred to me suddenly what she was thinking.

_She knows I wasn't the one with the bow. Even with the cloaks and hoods she was able to keep track of which one of us she had seen earlier using body size and posture alone. She is incredible, I'll hand her that. Best give her something else to think about._

I extended my hand to the side in her path and she twisted her dagger in readiness. And then, in that same hand, I summoned my bow.

That got her attention.

Confusion, then recognition flashed over Zoë's features and she skidded abruptly to a sideways halt.

She looked past me at the others, and then back. I could see the bewilderment in her eyes, the unspoken question:

_Did I make a mistake?_

I noticed her eyes flick to my bow, and it seemed only then that she noticed the distinct differences between the Hunters' silver bows and the one I held.

Her eyes went as wide as saucers as she regarded the bow. It was understandable, after all; it was a weapon she had seen countless times across numerous centuries, but only in the hands of one person.

She looked at me guardedly and I saw her eyes sweep up and down my form, assessing my size.

After a moment, she took a hesitant step forward. "_Mistress?"_ she asked, extremely confused tone.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "_Hardly."_ Zoë reared back at the sound in surprise.

_Need to keep her confused, just for a moment longer._

_Hurry it up! The Hunters are closing._

_I'm more than aware of that._

Slowly, I reached up and drew back my hood, revealing myself to the Huntress.

Zoë hissed in shock and I smiled warmly at her, resting my bow against a shoulder. "_Hello, Zoë."_

The Huntress was at an utter, gobsmacked loss for words. This was understandable, after all; she'd run into someone who was wielding an exact copy of her mistress' bow and, I had to accept, basically looked like a slightly larger male version of the goddess herself.

Zoë wavered slightly. "_Who...?"_

"_You appear somewhat confused."_

She inclined her head the tiniest fraction of an inch, as if to say, '_That would be the case, Captain Obvious'._

She gripped the hilt of her dagger tighter and shook her head furiously as if to disperse her confusion. Her eyes bored into the weapon in my hand."_Who are you? And where did you get _that_?"_ she whispered.

"_I'm afraid I can't tell you, Zoë."_

"_And how do you know who I am?"_she demanded.

"_You're the lieutenant of Artemis. Everyone knows who you are."_

"_Artemis?"_she breathed.

My smile remained in place. "_I'm afraid I've never known her by any other name, so you'll have to forgive me not calling her by her current title."_

Sensing I wasn't going to be too forthcoming, her eyes narrowed at me. "_Was it you?__Were you the one Lady Diana sensed?"_

I regarded her in silence, then inclined my head. "_Yes."_

Her posture shifted slightly. "_What are you?"_

I shrugged. "_I'm a demigod."_

She glanced back over her shoulder and back.

_She's delaying you, and you don't have long._

Zoë began pacing slowly back and forth, assessing me as I stood before her. "_A demigod, you say?"_

I smiled slightly. "_Is this the part where you ask who my parents are?"_

A smirk tugged on her lips. "_A mortal and a god, obviously."_

I inclined my head. "_Goddess and mortal, to be precise. Well, I say mortal..."_

"_Well?"_she demanded, stopping in front of me.

My eyes narrowed back at her and took several slow steps forwards, "_Why don't you tell me,"_I said, leaning into her ear as she stood rigid, knife gripped tightly. "_Work it out for me. Who am I, Zoë Nightshade?"_

She remained frozen, glaring at me out the corner of her eye as I carried on round, stopping just behind her."_There's a boy in your personal space,"_I said in a level tone.

Her shoulders tensed as she flinched. The Huntress swung back about and retreated a few paces, knife raised. "_Who are you? Answer!"_ she snarled, obviously rattled.

"_It always bothered me..."_I said thoughtfully.

She frowned. "_What did?"_

I continued, recalling the memory of a very different Zoë. "_When we first met…you recognized me. You knew my face. You'd _seen_ me before somewhere. It wasn't like you had been looking down on me from afar; you actually knew me. You remembered... being you, looking at me, here and now."_

Zoë was looking at me with a raised eyebrow. "_What are you talking about? We've never met before. I do my best__not to__associate__with your kind."_

I let out a tired breath and shook my head. "_Sorry, thinking out loud. And what do you mean by 'my kind'?"_

She gritted her teeth. "_You're...you're a-"_

My eyebrows rose slightly. "_You can't even__associate__that with__me, can you? Something else is overriding it, something more important than gender."_

She glared openly at me. "_Presumptuous... I'll humor you, for the moment. Why don't you tell me what this thing is?"_

"_The fact that you can't shake that first impression. The impression that I look like someone you know...?"_

There was a blur of movement as she slashed at me with her dagger. It missed my nose by a fraction of an inch, close enough for the blade's air pressure to be clearly felt.

I wasn't above flinching, though it was clear she had missed with intention. She was gripping the dagger so hard her tanned skin was white around it. "_How...DARE you..."_

I cocked my head. "_How dare I what?"_

"_Suggest such a thing..."_she breathed.

My smile returned. "_And what might that be?"_

"_YOU KNOW!"_She snapped, and then slowly shook her head. "_If I weren't under__orders... I assure you it is taking every last ounce of my willpower not to cut you down where you stand."_

I cocked my head inquisitively. "_Do you believe that I'm implying someone of significant importance may have violated some kind of oath?"_ Zoë hissed dangerously in response. "…_Because I'm not."_

Her glare turned into a confused frown. "_What?"_

I shrugged. "_I'm a -what was it you called me when we first met? Ah, yes- I'm an 'immaculate child',__only__here's the kicker: I haven't actually been born yet."_

Zoë's mouth opened and closed as she attempted to search for a response.

I nodded. "_And that's the issue. I'm just__passing__through, a wanderer in time itself."_

"…_What are you_talking _about?"_

"_I think the priestess said it best: I'm from a long-distant tomorrow. And so, whilst we stall each other for different reasons, I'm afraid I really must be going."_

"_You're going nowhere,"_said the huntress in a steely voice.

"_Not until your mistress gets here, you mean?"_I glanced off to the side. "_Well, I wouldn't worry about__it;__she'll be here in about five minutes."_

"_How can you possibly know that?"_

I looked at her out the corner of my eye. "_I wonder...She really is going at quite a leisurely pace. I'm sure she thinks you've got the situation in hand."_

"_I_do_have the situation in hand. I think you'll find I'm more than capable of handling a scrawny demigod who gets in my path."_

My smile melted. "_And I think you'll find, Zoë, that I am not just any other demigod."_

Her eyebrows raised slightly. _"Is that so?"_

"_Am I right in assuming that you're not going to let me just walk away?"_

She regarded me unwaveringly. "_That's right."_

I clenched my fist and slid into a stance. "_Then it would appear we have reached an impasse. I regret that due to certain time constraints, this fight can't last long."_

Zoë shifted her centre of gravity, readying to attack_,_ a predatory smirk spread across her face. "_I wouldn't worry about that, boy. It__won't."_

I couldn't suppress an exasperated sigh.

Zoë raised an eyebrow. "_What?"_

I shook my head. "_I'm sorry. It's just I__had a feeling when I first laid eyes on you in Venus' temple that it would__undoubtedly__come to this."_

She inclined her head. "_You__don't__seem upset."_

I nodded. "_I should be, shouldn't I? But I'm not. We're not fighting to really hurt each other, at least I'm not. So I guess it's because getting one last chance to pit myself against you isn't__a chore, _Zoë_ Nightshade, it's an honor."_

Her brow furrowed slightly and she shook her head in slight bewilderment. "_You are a strange one..."_

I laughed, and lowered my head, sensing the approaching Hunters getting uncomfortably close. "_That I will not deny... Let's go."_

Zoë needed no further invitation. As before, she moved with lightning speed.

The Huntress slid sideways, crouching under my guard, and shoulder barged me back. With my guard broken, she struck me flat in the chest and sent me flying back on the alley floor.

She immediately leaped about and took up a position in my path.

I jumped back to my feet and charged her. She parried my blows with practiced ease, but my speed was enough to score a few choice hits across her torso.

My hands caught her knee before it could hit me in the chest; this, however, left me unable to stop her as she backhanded me violently away from her.

Stars swam across my vision as I staggered back from her.

_She's fighting to stall, not to win. Blocking your path and knocking you back._

I smirked despite the fat lip I had welling up. "_I suppose you only need to keep me here long enough for your mistress to arrive. Once she gets here I admit I'll be pretty much finished."_

Zoë regarded me coldly. "_My orders are not to kill you. Lady__Diana will want to question you, therefore I will hold you here."_

_Why do I find myself getting a profound sense of Déjà vu from this?_

I leaped directly at her, foot aimed above her defense. Her hands shot out, grabbed me by the calf and hurled me through the air behind her.

_Such beastly strength; I guess some things never change._

It was different from the other time I'd fought her. This Zoë's combat style was different than her shade's. The way her body moved was similar, but her attitude about the fight was completely different. It was a difference that made things distinctly more difficult this time around.

This time she was fighting defensively. Her survival instincts were fully active, unlike the last time when she was essentially indestructible and could focus all her efforts on attacking. And I had to say, this girl had some seriously sharp defensive instinct.

However, that didn't mean she was above making mistakes.

_Now!_

As I spun through the air, I swiftly righted myself and propelled my body into a spiral off one hand, spinning myself back onto my feet and using the added momentum to break into an instant sprint.

_When in doubt, run away._

"_Come back here, coward!"_shouted the indignant Huntress.

"_Not bloody likely!"_ I shot back as I took the next corner, going to full speed.

Zoë was hot on my tail, but I was putting a safe gap between the Hunters and the Goddess I could sense in the distance. I had felt them amass on the temple we had occupied earlier; now they had dispersed into what I assumed was a search pattern in our general direction. One of them, however, seemed to be continually heading this way. And of course, as luck would have it, that one just happened to be Diana/Artemis.

_She's homing in on either Zoë or me. I guess which one doesn't really matter given the circumstances. Time for a change of tactics, and fast…_

My eyes trailed to the hanging shades covering some of the windows in the buildings that lined our path. They were on differing levels, which presented an opportunity.

I reared to the side and leaped up, grabbing hold of the pole holding the shade above a ground floor window and flipped myself onto it. I didn't halt, springing off the fabric and up to grab the next one above the second floor window. There wasn't a third in the sequence and so I was forced to jump up and grab the bottom of the next window ledge, pulling myself up and onto it.

I took a deep breath and jumped up to grasp hold of the roof ledge. As I dragged myself up I felt something latch firmly onto my ankle.

I looked back to find Zoë just below me. "_I'm not so easily shaken,"_ she snarled.

My instinct was, of course, to kick out at her, but an uncontrolled three-story drop would no doubt cause even a half-Titan serious injury or worse.

"_Blasted Hunters…"_ I grunted, trying to pull my leg free. "_Can't you be just a tad less tenacious? It would make my day so much more pleasant."_

With a loud groan of strain, I managed to pull myself up onto the rooftop, dragging Zoë along with me.

"Ah!" I cried out as I was pulled back to the edge. I realized that by pulling myself up I had probably lifted Zoë off of whatever she had been using as a ledge. I braced my other leg against the side of the roof whilst my other threatened to break due to the strange angles it was being pulled on. I looked up over the side. Indeed, Zoë was now hanging over the drop by my leg.

I gritted my teeth through the pain. "_How in Zeus' name have you lived so long?"_

She didn't dignify me with a response as I shifted my position and found myself sitting on the edge of the rooftop, bracing backward to stop myself being pulled over.

_Oh for the love of..._

I swung a hand down. "_Take it!"_ I barked.

She glared at me with indignation, though she obviously wasn't above allowing herself to be saved from a most pathetic death. She grasped hold of my left hand and I pulled up with as much strength as I could from my current position.

Once Zoë had swung back against the side of the building, she braced her legs against it and flipped herself effortlessly over and onto the roof behind me.

I took a moment to catch my breath and massage my aching calf muscle.

The respite was cut short as Zoë grabbed me by the neck of my robes and hurled me onto the rooftop in front of her.

The next thing I knew, she had me pinned underneath her, her knee pressed into my upper chest.

I looked at her blankly. "_You are really starting to put a crimp on my day."_

She glared down at me, seeming to be searching for what to say. After all, I had just saved her, when logically it would've been more beneficial to let her fall. After a moment she seemed to give up. She shook her head, holding me with her eyes, "_Who_are _you?"_

A small, sad smile came to my face. "_You already sort of know, and I wish I could explain it to you. All I_can_tell you is that I am what I am: an impossible thing that shouldn't exist. And you're a friend that I never got to know."_

Whether out of confusion or something else, as her gaze held mine, I felt the pressure on my chest lighten just a bit.

She held me there in silence. "_Zoë, please... I'm running out of time..."_ I trailed off in a whisper, and I'm not sure what it was, and it would always puzzle me why-perhaps it was her own instinct telling her something, or maybe something deeper-but after a long moment, she slowly slid off me.

I stood up and dusted myself off, my back to her as I freed myself of the cumbersome hooded robe. I held it to the side and let the air currents blowing over the rooftops carry it away.

I looked back at Zoë, who crouched silently near the edge of the roof, eyes lowered, looking out over the city. I couldn't guess the thoughts going through her head at that moment. Had she believed me? Did she feel she'd betrayed my mother by letting me go? Did she simply let me live because I'd saved her? It would be a shame that I'd never get the answers to any of those questions, just as Zoë must've known that there was no time for her questions to be answered, either.

Without a word, I turned about and began walking away.

"_There were maidens with you, were there not?"_ I paused at Zoë's words and glanced back. She still wasn't looking up.

I hesitated. "_Yes, there were."_

"_Then stop wasting time, and do your duty."_

"_Of course."_

And with that, I took off across the rooftops in Aren's direction, leaving the lone Huntress behind.

-A-

To say I was breathless by the time I caught up would be an understatement. To be honest, I probably hadn't run that fast since I was chased through the woods by that..._thing_ Eris summoned, which shall not be spoken of.

I skidded to a halt on top of a building overlooking the market square. Surprisingly, the entire area appeared to be deserted. In fact, I had noticed most of the streets en route were in a similar way. Whatever system of policing the Romans used, I had to applaud its efficiency.

I surveyed the square below me carefully. There was nothing moving; not a soul was about, and looking down I could see no one waiting to ambush me.

_And yet I still have a bad feeling._

Slowly, carefully, I climbed down the wall of the building and dropped to a crouch behind an abandoned stall...

_There!_

I could sense Aren's position and I caught the subtle scents I associated with her and Percy coming from the alley across the square.

I gave the area a quick once over. There were no people, nobody peeking out through the windows. The coast seemed clear enough.

I made a break for it, cutting directly across the square.

In retrospect, I probably should've been more careful.

"_Halt!"_ came the sharp shout. I didn't comply, of course, as the soldier who had shouted turned a corner into view.

_Oh, typical!_

I increased my pace and bolted into the alleyway.

"_Oh, look. He made it,"_said Aemilia dryly.

"_What kept you?"_asked Theia.

I skidded to a halt. "_Sorry, got a little held up."_

"_What happened to Zoë?"_asked Aren as she and the others emerged from hiding behind a group of crates.

I glanced back over my shoulder. "_I wouldn't worry.__We thrashed something__out."_

"_So you've shaken all the Hunters?"_asked Percy.

I nodded. "_At least for now. However, a new problem may have just presented itself."_

Aemilia frowned. "_Define 'problem'."_

"_There they are!"_

We turned to find a group of armed soldiers at the end of the alleyway.

"_Move it!_" shouted Aren and we immediately retreated down the path in the opposite direction.

"_More running?"_ moaned the black cat.

"_This is what you get for sneaking second helpings on salmon day,"_said Theia, as disturbingly calm as ever, glancing back at the guards as they gave pursuit.

"_How do they even know it was us?"_ I asked as we emerged into a smaller square.

"_They've imposed an emergency__curfew!"_ said Aemilia. "_They'll arrest anyone they see in the streets."_

"_We need to get out of sight," s_aid Aren as we stopped to get our bearings. Two paths led out from the darkened square, and we immediately headed for the one opposite us.

"_Other way!"_shouted Percy, skidding to a halt ahead of us as guards poured out of the route he had taken, the ones behind us catching up and entering the square. The only remaining exit had soldiers at the end, and they too were heading this way.

"_Talk about being outflanked..."_ I grumbled as we backed into the centre of the square, drawing weapons as the soldiers encircled us.

"_Lower your weapons!"_ barked one of the soldiers, his adornments clearly showing him to be an officer.

"_I'm open to suggestions..."_I mumbled.

Aemilia sighed. "_Lower your weapons."_

"_We're giving up?"_ asked Aren disbelievingly.

Aemilia kept her gaze locked on the soldiers around us. "_Hardly. Now drop your weapons and when__I say so, drop to the ground."_

"_Oh, not this again..."_ sighed Theia. "_I hope you're more careful than that incident with the dragon."_

"_The what?"_ I felt I had to ask.

Aemilia rolled her eyes. "_I was young and my aim wasn't so good. Now will you please let me save all our__hides?"_

"_I'm going to go stand over here,"_said the tabby. She and her companion slipped away from us and disappeared through the legs of the guards.

"_Drop!_"

We had no idea what was going on, but we thought it best to do as the daughter of Jupiter said.

The guards made to strike as we hit the marble and Aemilia extended a palm straight up.

The guards paused to glance at each other as a strange humming filled the air. I glanced up as I felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickle and stand up.

Aemilia had her fist closed and, when she flicked it open, strands of electricity shot out from her fingertips, striking the armored men on their breastplates and helmets as tendrils of electricity leapt from man to man.

Shocked cries filled the air as electrical charge coursed over their armor. They all shook and spasmed before collapsing in a heap around us.

We cautiously climbed to our feet, the occasional spark of electricity dancing over the glistening plates of the men's armor.

They were all groaning, and still appeared to be conscious.

"_Wh-what did you do?"_asked Aren, gingerly picking up her dagger, hissing as a static discharge leaped to her finger.

Aemilia shrugged as she collected her weapon. "_Well, if they insist on wearing so much armor..."_

I leaned over and prodded one of the guards; he groaned and shook, drooling slightly.

"_You paralyzed them?"_I asked.

Theia sighed as she patted down her hair, which had begun to stick up at the back. "_It's her favorite technique."_

Aemilia dusted herself down. "_Of course. I don't even have to aim."_

Once we were up, I glanced quickly about the area. "_How long until it wears off?"_

Aemilia blinked. "_Wears off?"_

I felt myself pale somewhat and we all shared a nervous glance as we set off after her.

_Note to self: wear rubber soles around this girl._

"_Don't let her scare you, it does wear off,"_said Theia, as she bent down to flatten down her cats' fur. The ginger female was purring with amusement, repeatedly shocking her frizzy, grumbling partner with one claw.

I felt slightly relieved that we hadn't just left two dozen roman troops a group of drooling paralytics.

"_So they'll be all right?"_asked Percy.

Theia stood back up and walked off after the other priestess. "_Sure. They should start getting feeling back in the next couple of months."_

"…_Are all Roman demigods this scary?_" I asked, glancing at my father.

He cocked his head. "_Actually, compared to most, these two are quite subdued."_

My entire body tensed up as I heard the telltale twang of a pair of bowstrings being loosed.

My body swung about, ready to dodge to the side.

_Not aiming for me!_

My body moved as fast as it could, though I knew there was nothing I could do as I summoned my own bow.

I shot one of the arrows clean out the air as I had done a hundred times before. The second arrow shot right in front of me, and I turned my aim after it, though I knew there was no way to stop it in time.

The projectile seemed to move in slow motion as it closed in on the back of Aemilia's neck.

And then it shattered, pretty much exploding in midair.

There was a clatter of wood as the arrow's remnants fell about us. Aemilia swung about towards the two archers who had remained on the edge of the square.

Her stormy grey eyes seemed to glisten with rage and a bolt of angry blue light caught the furthest away of the guards. The man was smashed against the building behind him and he fell limply to the floor.

I saw a flurry of robes out my peripheral vision as Theia drew a dagger from her robes and, with a flick of her wrist, sent it spinning through the air towards the other archer.

The soldier didn't have time to move as it pierced clean into the hand reaching back for another arrow, impaling it into the wooden structure behind him.

His scream filled the air as he desperately moved to pull it free and scrambled around into an alley, whimpering as he went.

Aren inclined her head. "_Nice throw."_

Theia smiled pleasantly. "_Why, thank you. I've been practicing."_

"_Enough of this. We need to get out of here, now. They're only going to keep coming!_" said my father, ushering us on. We didn't stop to argue as we hastily left the area to find a more secluded spot. I hesitated only to give a passing glance at the lone silver arrow embedded in the ground nearby.

-?-

The silhouetted figure of Zoë Nightshade let her bow shimmer into nonexistence as she watched the robed group below slip away. Her eyes drifted from the stranger she had fought earlier to the only other unhooded figured present: Hippolytus.

She was torn; but if it were true that the revelation the boy had made could in some small way hurt her goddess, then Zoë would do her utmost to protect her from it.

And so, as she often did with her worries and insecurities when around Lady Diana, so as not to worry her with them, she packaged up the memory in her head, bound it tightly, and buried it deep within the dark recesses of her mind.

It would be another lifetime before that memory would be called back.

"_Zoë._"

The Huntress gave a slight start as she turned to find Diana standing mere feet away from her.

Zoe immediately bowed her head. "_My lady."_

The goddess inclined her head slightly in response and strolled calmly forward, casting a brief glance down into the square. "_You made it quite a chore to catch up with you."_

Zoë bowed her head again. "_My deepest apologies, my lady. I would've been more vigilant had I known my actions would cause you an inconvenience."_

Diana shook her head slightly, lips twitching. "_Put it out of your mind, Zoë. We were merely concerned for you. We heard you signal us."_

Zoë blinked, confusion flashing over her features. "_I did?"_she muttered as an echo of a memory came to her. "_…Yes, I suppose I did. I'm sorry to have worried you."_

The goddess narrowed her eyes ever so slightly at her lieutenant. "_Did something happen, Zoë? Did you discover what it was that I asked you to investigate?"_

Zoë's gaze drifted down to the square below and was silent for a long minute. Slowly she shook her head. "_I'm sorry, my lady... I didn't find anything."_

Diana looked at her inquisitively for a second. After a pause, she turned and headed off back across the roof. "_Very well. Come along..."_

"_Yes, my lady."_

"_And, Zoë..."_

"_Yes, Lady Diana?"_

"_What were you doing up on the roof?"_

"_I have absolutely no idea."_

-A-

We came to a halt in a dark, secluded back alley.

Percy gave a quick glance around. "_Looks like the coast is clear."_

Aren nodded. "_Time to go then, at__last."_

I pulled out the glowing shard and passed a glance at the others.

Percy turned to Aemilia and Theia. "_You two may want to stand clear."_

"_No,"_ I said suddenly.

"_No what?"_asked Percy.

I looked at the two Roman demigods. "_We can't leave them behind."_

Percy blinked, "_Are you insane?"_

I sighed. "_If I had a drachma for every time I heard that..."_

"_Percy makes a good point," _said my father seriously. "_You can't just take people out of the past."_

I turned to Theia and Aemilia. "_Let me ask you: if we leave you here in Rome, what will happen to you?"_

Theia and Aemilia exchanged looks. "_W__e wouldn't remain,"_said Theia. "_At best we'd be forced into exile to avoid execution."_

"_No more smoked salmon?"_mewed the black cat.

"_No more fish, period. It's going to be common rat from here__on out,"_replied the tabby mournfully, causing him to give a heartbroken _mrrrow._

"_To be fair, there was no historical record of any priestesses being accused of__Caesar's assassination."_I mused.

"_Are you trying to justify this?"_sighed Aren.

I switched momentarily back to English. "No, Aren. I'm saying that our intervention has effectively destroyed their lives. If they get caught, they'll be executed; and if not, they'll have to live the rest of their lives in hiding. Their lives as priestesses are effectively over. I also made a promise to a friend that I'd keep them safe."

Aren sighed and wiped her forehead. "You're incorrigible, you know that?"

I smiled warmly for her, which she responded to by blushing and glancing away, muttering under her breath.

I turned back to Aemilia and Theia. "_Okay, here are your options: You can stay here in the past and take your chances, or come with us a few thousand years into the future. By then things should have, hopefully, blown over."_

Theia looked down. "_I don't know. I may not have any family, but all of my other friends-"_

"_What other friends?"_interrupted Aemilia. "_Your only friends are me, two cats and crazy janitor from the future!"_

Theia looked up. "_So you admit I'm your friend, then?"_

"_Oh, don't start..."_

I flipped the shard. "_Alright then, so I guess it's settled: we're taking you with us back to the…umm…back to where we came from."_

Aemilia and Theia each picked up one of the cats as I gripped the shard firmly. "_Here goes..."_

I slashed out at nothing and was greeted again by a glowing tear in the air in front of us, illuminating the dank alley.

The cats hissed and Aemilia took a hesitant step away. "_So, how does this work?"_

I looked back at her and smiled reassuringly. "_Just click__your heels and think of Kansas."_

Aemilia looked blankly back. "_Of where?"_

I looked back into the vortex and sighed, "_Oh, Apollo's going to have a field day with you..."_

Aren crouched and got ready to jump. "_Just empty your minds and we'll do the rest."_

"_I'm__sure Theia can do that..."_ muttered the daughter of Jupiter just loud enough for the other priestess to hear.

"_Let's go,"_ said the Huntress with a tired sigh as she led the two priestesses into the gap, Percy jumping in after them.

I looked sidelong at my father. "Ready?_"_

"Zoë's dead, isn't she?_"_ He asked suddenly, and I froze to the spot.

I looked into the bright light until my eyes hurt. "…She is."

My father was silent as he took it in, but judging by how quiet he had been for the past while, he had been absorbing it for some time. "I see."

"How long have you known?" I asked.

I saw him hang his head. "To be honest? As soon as I saw Aren's reaction. Even when she lies, that girl's reactions have always been incredibly honest."

I smiled. "That's certainly true."

He was quiet for a moment. "How did it happen?"

I paused to consider how to respond. "I think it best I leave my mother to answer that one, but from what I've heard she went out well, defending her goddess, fighting for the future of the entire world."

He smiled sadly. "That's good to hear."

I rested a hand on his shoulder and took a calming breath, striding into the light with him by my side. "Come along, father. Time to go home..."

_To be concluded…_


	11. Chapter 11: Ever After

[A/N] Let the final chapter commence…

**The Lost Prince**

**Chapter 11: Ever After**

This one was particularly bumpy. We emerged into darkness, hurtled out of the vortex and crashed into a wall of rock. Luckily, I'd gone last, so when I emerged the landing wasn't so bad.

It was obviously much worse for Aemilia, as she ended up breaking my fall.

I crumpled to the floor on top of the groaning priestess.

"_Would it be too much to ask for you to get your dead weight off me?" _she grumbled into the ground.

"_Sorry about that..."_I said, pushing up and patting myself down whilst Aemilia stood, her back cracking slightly as she stretched.

She shot me a look out the corner of her eye. "_Thanks for letting us know about that in advance."_

I shrugged. "_Sorry, wasn't nearly that bad on any of the earlier jumps,"_I replied, looking around. Theia was still recovering, but Aren was already up and looking about. The cats, of course, had landed on their feet, the tom licking some stray dust of his paw whilst his companion sat beside their mistress.

Percy dusted himself down as he surveyed his surroundings. "This place again?" he said as he looked up at the ramp we had landed on, and then up to the walkway that lead around the cavern where we had first picked up the shard.

I cocked my head. "_Could've been worse,_" I said, looking down into the void. "_We could've been hurled right off the edge."_

Hippolytus, who looked like he had landed without incident, approached the edge. "That looks like the Empty Space. Where are we?_"_

I looked around us. "The bronze mines under Olympus. Looks like the hunt ends where it began, how apt..._" _

"_Will you all stop speaking in that odd tongue?"_said Aemilia, who was starting to sport a nasty bruise on her face.

Aren sighed. "_Get used to it. It's the language of choice these days. I'm afraid few people even speak Latin any more."_

I shrugged. "_You're both half-bloods. You're attuned to whatever language the gods speak, so hopefully that means you'll pick it up sooner rather than later. In the meantime," _I added, looking down at the shard in my hand, "_it's time to leave."_

"_What are you going to do with that?_" asked Aren.

I looked at the shard, remembering the way Percy reacted when he had first seen it. "_There's only one thing_to_do,"_ I said, and flicked it down into the darkness below.

Percy watched as the tiny point of red light vanished from view. _"Sent it to join the rest of it?"_he asked.

I nodded. "_It seemed only fitting. Besides, seems a little too dangerous a thing to have laying about the attic back at camp."_

A smile tugged at Percy's lips. "_I can see the tag now: 'One time-travelling shard, just add blood'."_

I nodded and turned around. "_Well, that's that. Let's be go-"_

I was cut off as a bright tendril of crimson light erupted from the darkness behind me and carved a massive chunk out of the ramp.

I staggered back. "_Back away!"_shouted Aren, grabbing my shoulder to steady me.

I looked to the side and into the dark. More tendrils of crimson and golden light erupted like searching tentacles and began piercing into the walls of the cavern, tearing away at the walls and the ledges around us.

"_Looks like it really doesn't want to go quietly!"_ shouted Percy as we backed into a circle.

We watched as the cavern's entrances collapsed. I saw Percy's panicked gaze darken as from within the darkness, seemingly part of the destructive light itself, came a deep, echoing chuckle, barely audible over the crashing debris, the sound of a fragmented soul trying to get the last laugh.

More and more of the cavern started to collapse around us, the void becoming wider.

One of the limbs smashed down to our left, cutting us off from circling around the cavern. We swung about to the ramp just as three of the limbs sliced up and down it, carving it into pieces.

"_I'm open to suggestions!"_ shouted Aren as she backed towards us.

"_I'm blaming you for this!"_ snapped Aemilia as she backed up to Percy.

I blinked. "_Me? What'd _I _do?"_

She rolled her eyes. "Come with us_, you say; _you'll be safe,_ you say. As far as I'm concerned, you've just exchanged running for our lives for falling to our deaths!"_

I opened my mouth to retort, paused, then inclined my head acceptingly. "_Yeah, suppose I did...Sorry about that."_

Aemilia gaped. "_Sorry? Oh, well that's great. At least you're_sorry_."_

Theia sighed, and I noticed her hands were clasped behind her back, as composed as ever. "_Really, Aemilia. Only you would pick a moment like this to complain."_

"_We're about to die! When do you suggest I wait until?"_

She glanced about. "_Now, now. There's no need to panic."_

My father staggered back as we found ourselves standing on a circle of rock surrounded by nothing but darkness. "_On the contrary, Miss Theia, I think that would be a very prudent course of action, given the circumstances."_

Theia continued looking about as her cats curled around her legs, fur standing on end. "_Come now. There's always a way out."_

Aemilia rounded on her, grabbing onto my father to stop herself falling. "_Then what do you suggest we do? Sing a song and summon a flying carpet?"_

Her words struck a cord. Suddenly I realized, and with no small amount of abject horror, that there was one way, just one, that I could save everyone.

_Oh, gods... I don't want to do this._

_Might I recommend swallowing your pride for just this one moment?_

I glanced down over the edge, weighing my options.

_Maybe it wouldn't be so bad..._

_DO IT!_

_Fine!_

My eyes trailed to Aren as she backed further away from the crumbling edge. And suddenly my hesitation vanished.

I still _really_ didn't want to do it, though.

"_This never happened,_" I said suddenly, eyes fixed on the opposite wall, only partly aware of the single remaining tendril of light, hanging almost tauntingly, ready to swipe away our last foothold.

Percy glanced back. "_What did you say?"_

"_This never happened!"_I snapped angrily.

The others looked at me. "_What are you talking about?"_ Aemilia demanded. "_What never happened?"_

And so I did the one thing I swore I would never do, even on pain of death and torture; the one humiliating thing that I promised myself I would never be driven to; but then, it wasn't just my life on the line. I had no choice... I had to invoke his name.

The tentacle aimed sideways at the rock under our feet and, just as it prepared to strike, I opened my mouth, took a deep breath...

-?-

"_Here is comes!"_ Shouted Percy, and the group tensed as the limb struck, hacking a huge chunk out of their remaining foothold. The platform lurched sideways.

"_I must admit, I find myself starting to lose confidence,"_said Theia, reaching down to cradle her cats protectively in her arms.

"_Lose confidence?"_echoed Aemilia. "_You say that when were are one hundred percent, royally, well and truly-"_

Suddenly Aemilia was cut off as a melodic sound filled the cavern while the ground underneath them cracked.

"_I hear your voice..."_

Aren frowned and glanced back over her shoulder. "_What the-"_

"..._it's like an angel sighing..."_continued the voice which, as it turned out, was coming from the demigod behind her.

Armani's voice picked up an octave, though from the look in his eyes it appeared as though part of his soul was dying. "_...I have no choice, I hear your voice, feels like flying..."_

"Have you lost your mind? We're about to DIE and you're singing Madonna?_"_gaped Percy.

"Armani-_"_Aren began, but was cut off as, with a final swipe, the tentacle shattered the ground from under them.

Terrified cries filled the cavern as they plunged off, all the while the harmonic voice continued "..._I close my eyes, oh god I think I'm falling..."_

"_NO KIDDING!"_ cried Percy incredulously.

"..._Out of the sky, I close my eyes..."_ Abruptly he opened his eyes wide, extended a hand upwards, and shouted upwards in that same voice, "_...Apollo, save me!"_

Suddenly he slammed his eyes shut and folded his arms about his head. Swirls of blinding flame began gathering about them as they plummeted into the void. Within a second it built into a blazing cage around them, drawing them closer together.

They were all forced to cover their eyes as a blinding flash of divine light lit up the darkness and a red Maserati materialized around them.

-A-

I landed with a thud in a leather bucket seat and immediately found myself with a certain god's arm casually wrapped about my shoulder. "Madonna, _baby._ I knew some day you'd-" he stopped dead as he glanced at me out the corner of his eye, his other hand resting casually on the steering wheel.

He frowned, turned fully to look at me, then leaned in _very_ closely as I regarded him blankly.

He scrutinized me for a second, as if making sure of something.

"Armani?" he asked.

I continued looking at him, ignoring his arm for now. "Yes, uncle. Hello."

He was silent for a long moment, as if trying to work something out. Finally, he spoke.

"…You're not Madonna."

I was silent again for an even longer moment as I looked at him. "No, uncle..." I replied in an emotionless tone. "No I am not."

He melted away from me, regarding me cautiously. "How did you-"

"Remember that night about eight years ago when she shot you down?"

He nodded ponderingly. "I brought her back to the condo..."

"And she told you that it was never gonna happen."

"And I said-"

"-_you said, '_If you ever change your mind, just sing a song to the heavens and call out my name and I'll come running back'. You even swore it on the river Styx. Not your brightest move..."

He glanced away nervously. "You heard that?"

I cocked an eyebrow. "Uncle... I was in the same room."

He glanced off to the side again, thinking on it. "Oh, yes, now I remember. You were eating a cheese sandwich."

"Can't say I remember that much..."

He scowled suddenly, looking back at me. "That was mean!"

"Uncle, I just died a little inside by calling you. Trust me; it was a sacrifice on my part."

He stared intently ahead, grumbled something under his breath in Ancient Greek, and then finally looked in his rear view mirror at the group crammed tightly into the sports car's back seats.

"Howdy, troops!" he said happily, waving at them in the mirror.

Percy shrugged an arm free from under Aemilia to raise it in greeting. "Hey, uh, Lord Apollo. Thanks for the save."

Apollo grinned as he gunned the accelerator. "Don't mention it."

"_Ever,_" I added numbly.

There was another flash around us, and suddenly we found ourselves cruising above the clouds.

Silence descended for a moment as Apollo leveled us out. "_You have a lovely singing voice,"_said Theia abruptly.

I shuddered noticeably and took a calming breath. I reached into the ashtray and pulled out a silver dollar, holding it up.

"See this?" I said, winding down the window beside me. "This is my last shed of self-respect." I flicked it out the window. "And away it goes."

Apollo glanced at me out the corner of his eye. "You owe me a dollar." He glanced back into his rear-view mirror and cocked his head. "That you, H?"

My father inclined his head. "Lord Apollo."

"You never showed up to my temple for our weekly game of Super Mario Brothers last...ah... how long ago was that now?"

"Sixteen years?" I asked dryly.

He nodded. "_Yeah_, what's up with that?"

I rolled my eyes. "Prophecy, Uncle..."

He nodded. "Ah, yes. The child of Troizenos. Welcome back." He frowned suddenly, then turned to me. "Wait a minute, but that would mean... Sixteen years? So…_he's_ your-" he asked me with a raised eyebrow, as if needing confirmation.

I nodded sadly.

"_Oh..."_ He glanced away. "_Funny..._Probably should've worked that one out myself."

"You mean he _wasn't_ in your list of suspects? One of my mother's only male servants goes missing just before I'm born and you don't put the pieces together?"

He shrugged. "I just thought he went out to get tacos or something..."

"And what? Got lost for sixteen years?"

"Either that or he just didn't want to give me a rematch at Mortal Kombat. That _does_ explain a lot, come to think of it..."

I just groaned. "I do despair sometimes, uncle..."

He just gave me that irritating toothy smile as his gaze travelled to the others. His eyes fixed on the two Roman half-bloods.

"Aemilia?" he asked uncertainly, and then "…Theia?"

Aemilia inclined her head curtly. "_Lord Phoebus."_

"_Phoebus,"_ added Theia, slightly less formally.

Apollo's eyes seemed to widen a tad as they flicked for an instant to Percy and I, before returning to the two girls, switching instantly to Latin. "_Well... I must say, it's been a few years since I last saw the pair of you."_

"_Your chariot has changed much. Though you yourself appear much the same."_

I half scoffed. "_That's unsurprising."_

Apollo patted the steering wheel. "_I think I like it this way. And as for me, well, why try to improve on perfection?"_he asked. He winked suggestively at her, then glanced at the animals on her lap. "_Just try not to get any fur on the leather, I just had the girl reupholstered."_ Sacra, wedged tightly between the two Romans and her partner, gave a muffled _mrow_ of acknowledgement and pushed Divus onto the floor.

I found it odd that the sun god wasn't questioning the idea of a pair of demigods from thousands of years in the past dropping in with us.

"_So where are we going,_ Phoebus?" I asked, putting a little emphasis on his Roman name. His brow twitched as I said it. Odd that it didn't when the girls said it, though.

He continued in Latin, for the sake of the Roman demigods. "_Well, since you're here, I thought it best I take you somewhere and show you something. I'd land you at Olympus, but my dad's still getting up at me for the last time I parked there. So...how was the past?"_

Percy cocked his head. "_You knew where we went?"_

He laughed. "_God of prophecy, of course I knew. I__ know everything."_ He glanced at me to cut off the sarcastic remark he knew I was about to make.

Aemilia looked down out the window as we cruised above the clouds. "_We've left everything behind."_

Theia glanced up from filing her nails, seemingly and beguilingly un-shocked about being taken through time. "_Left_what_behind? I'm practically the only person you ever talked to. Besides, I'm sure things haven't changed that much. Right, Phoebus?"_

Apollo shrugged. "_Right. Well...Dental care's improved a lot, but besides that it's pretty much all cosmetic."_

"_Where are we going?"_I asked, looking down and noticing we were cruising above the coastline.

A smile tugged at the side of his mouth. "_Just giving you a ride home."_

I was about to question him further when my stomach suddenly lurched as Apollo swung the steering wheel around and we arched into a steep descent.

I glared at him. "_It saddens me that I've somehow gotten used to the way you drive, Uncle._"

"_Ah, you know you love it."_

"_I'm not sure I do,"_muttered my father, grasping his stomach.

"_Can you please land soon, Apollo? I think my legs are falling asleep,"_said Aren as she shifted uncomfortably between my father and Aemilia.

The noise around us lessened as Apollo settled us into a slow, vertical descent. "_It's okay, kiddies,"_he said, nodding ahead. "_We're here."_

"_And where exactly is-"_ I began to ask, but stopped dead as I looked out over what loomed before us. I couldn't help but smile despite myself. "_So...You finally got around to it."_

Apollo grinned as he set us down next to the pavement in front of the seafront condo that I had called home for the majority of my life.

I slid out of the car and stretched. It looked pretty much exactly as I remembered. Well, almost exactly. The large spruce that now dominated the left side of the house looked a little bit out of place.

_Funny, that almost looks like..._

I cut the thought off and turned to look at Apollo. "When did this get done?_"_

He shrugged. "Like I told you: As soon as I got around to it."

I frowned. "Which was when, exactly?"

He cocked his head. "The next day. I think it was about lunch time..."

My jaw dropped, as I stared at him in shock while the others climbed out of the sun chariot. "Are you trying to tell me that I've spent the past god-knows how long at a summer camp... when I could've come home at _any time_?"

Apollo pursed his lips and nodded ponderingly, as if considering it. "…Pretty much, yeah."

I considered for a long moment, unsure if I should thank him or hit him. In the end I chose to fall into silent disdain.

"Come now, Armani. Don't look at me like that. Sure; you've had a few blips here and there, but think of all you've gained. You look your old uncle in the eye and tell me that it wasn't worth it."

He smiled at me in that infuriating way - that way that made me both want to dislodge some of his blinding white teeth and, even more maddeningly, want to smile back.

I grumbled under my breath and looked away to hide an annoyed flush, only for him to reach out and ruffle my hair affectionately.

Percy seemed impressed, at least. "_Nice house. Is this yours, Apollo?_"

He inclined his head. "_I built it, but technically it belongs to my sister."_He said as we followed him to the door. Above the doorway, where there had once been a large golden sun emblazoned, there was now a silver crescent moon; and resting within its curve was a smaller, almost subservient golden sun.

He led us inside.

It was extremely nostalgic; eerily so, actually. He hadn't just rebuilt it, he had put it _exactly_ back to the way it was before. Sitting on the counter in the kitchen, in what I can only assume is the exact position I left it in, was a bottle of nectar, and resting in an umbrella stand by the door was a lone arrow with a glass head, its core glowing an angry green.

I glanced around. "I must admit, your attention to detail is almost disturbing."

He just grinned innocently. "It's the little things in life that matter."

I glanced into the main lounge area and Apollo suddenly called out, "Wait, I haven't finished-"

He was cut off as my father let out an astonished gasp.

The living room was full, and I mean _full_, of piles of packing paper, empty boxes and polystyrene. Apollo let out a resigned sigh.

"-_cleaning,_" he finished tiredly.

"_Lord Apollo!"_ Hippolytus said in a reprimanding tone. There was an almost manic look in his eyes.

Apollo raised his palms defensively and took a step away from him. "Ahh, why don't you... think of it as your first job back? _Surprise?_"

My father's hand instinctively gripped the handle of the telescopic broom/sword slung over his back.

_I guess that's his instinct: Don't mess up a temple of Artemis, even if you're the one who built it._

"_Anyway,"_ butted in Percy. "_Mess aside... good job, Apollo_," he said, though I assume he had no idea what was going on and was merely attempting to diffuse the situation.

The sun god's smile immediately returned. "_Thanks, Percy_!" he beamed.

I took the opportunity to have another quick look around.

I glanced in my room which, happily, was exactly as I remembered it, with the exception of a hammock made out of fine golden thread, strung up in the corner.

Leaning back and glancing into the next room gave me a surprise: Apollo's old chambers were gone. Instead was a single bed in the centre of the room, the walls lined with bunks and a pair of wardrobes. A single dresser stood with an empty wooden stand on top of it, my mother's symbol carved into the side. It occupied almost the same spot Apollo's own bow once had.

_So, he gave the Hunters and even my mother a spot to rest. Not sure where he expects to stay when he drops-_

My mind stalled as I recalled the hammock, and I found myself shouting, "Apollo! You're **not** sleeping in my room!"

His voice trailed in from the lounge, "Don't worry, Nephew. I won't!"

I gave a sigh of relief_._

"Technically, I don't actually sleep."

_Deep breaths... Deep breaths... Count to ten…_

I returned to the lounge, stepped over the cats that were stretched out in the doorway, and looked at Apollo. "_There is one thing I want to know,"_I said, unconsciously switching to Latin as I walked past him and glanced up and out of the patio doors.

"_And what's that?"_ asked Apollo.

I inclined my head outside. "_What's that tree doing out there?_" I asked. I heard a shuffling from among the cardboard behind me. "_If I didn't know any better I'd say that looked just like- GAAH!"_

I was cut off as something strong and forceful practically torpedoed into me from behind, smushing my face flat against the glass door.

"Don't tell me..." I said, my voice muffled by the glass. "Tackleglomp..."

"Welcome home!" Lya's gleeful voice squealed. I managed to push away from the glass and glance over my shoulder to find the nymph nuzzling happily into my lower back. I turned about and took a step forward, lifting Lya a step off the ground in the process, and, as usual, she remained firmly latched onto me.

I looked at Apollo as I reached down and patted the nymph on the head. She detached herself from me and instead took to gripping possessively onto my lower arm. I couldn't help but notice Aren looking at me with a form of tired exasperation. "_You moved her tree into my back yard?_" I asked the sun god.

"You're talking funny."

I glanced down at Lya. "It's Latin." Then back up at Apollo. "_Well_?"

He shrugged. "_Well_, _I had help. I'm the sun god, it's not like it's my field of expertise._"

"_My mother did this?"_

He shook his head. "_Nah, I asked Lanaya to help._"

I gave a start. "_You asked my old English teacher to help you move a tree?_"

"_Well, it's not like Lya could move her own tree._"

I shook my head. "No. There is no way Ms. Lanaya would help you," I said firmly. She was, after all, one of the few people I missed from my days of living in solitude, though I hadn't seen her in nearly two years. "Not after what happened the last time she was here."

Lya looked up. "I asked her! She's my distant cousin!"

I sighed. "Of course you did..."

Apollo smiled. "She said, and I quote, 'Just know that I'm not doing it for you, you blonde jackanapes'."

I suppressed a small smile; she always was the stern-if-somewhat-concerned type. I was surprised an Oxford oak like her would come so far just to help out, but then thanks to the root system it probably wasn't that hard to get here.

"What happened last time?" asked Percy.

I exhaled a tired breath. "Let's just say it involved Apollo's busy hands and a certain tutor threatening to ram his bow, and I quote, 'where even the sodding sun god doesn't shine'."

Percy cocked his head. "She sounds... nice."

"_Yeah_..." I glanced down at Lya. "Why were you hiding under there?"

Lya nodded at Apollo. "I needed some shade. For some reason my skin kept drying out when he was around."

I nodded. "Yeah, he does have a sort of _withering_ effect on people."

"_Hey_! I'm right here, you know!"

"_What's with the sprite?"_ asked Aemila to Percy.

"_She's his ex-wife."_

"_Anyway_," Aren butted in, none-too-subtly detaching Lya from my arm. "_Can we please get back to business?"_ The nymph seemed equally as content to latch onto her instead, causing the Huntress to groan slightly.

The son of Poseidon looked around. "_So, this place belongs to Artemis?" _he asked, pausing to frown a little in confusion. "_You built your sister a house?"_

Apollo's smile widened a tad. "_Not exactly. Oh! Speak of the hellhound,"_he added, glancing to the side. A sudden shock went through me as I sensed her appear nearby.

Apollo turned around. "_Come along, then, best go let her in."_

-A-

I opened the door to find my mother standing alone, her head arched up, regarding the symbol above the door with a blank expression.

"Like it?" asked Apollo with a grin.

She merely cocked her head sideways an inch. "I approve..."

She reached out and touched the doorpost. I saw a shimmer spread from her fingertips, showing the golden barrier that encompassed the building and the large tree that stood on its grounds. She rapped gently on the wood once with her knuckles, and the light changed from yellow to a warm silvery glow.

She nodded her head, satisfied. "Much better."

"And you call me superficial," sighed Apollo.

My mother didn't reply as she walked past us into the hallway.

"Sis..." Apollo suddenly said.

My mother stopped.

"If you don't mind my asking: Do you know what happened to my motorbikes? I know my nephew here was tagged leaving the condo on one a while back. You wouldn't happen to know what... happened to the others…would you?"

My mother was quiet for a long while.

She glanced back at him. "What motorbikes?" she asked innocently, and carried right on walking.

Apollo just looked on in shock as I stood at his side. "…I'm never going to see my babies again, am I?"

I patted him consolingly on the shoulder. "I think it's time you moved on, uncle."

He let out a small sob. "Oh, the humanity..."

I cocked my head. "_Technically-_"

He raised his index finger up, cutting me off. "If you complete that sentence-"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, you'll hurt me, I know. Come on," I said, following after my mother. "If you're good I'll make you an ambrosia smoothie later."

"_Ooh."_

-A-

We re-entered with my mother, Aren and the three demigods looking unsurprisingly shocked to see the goddess.

"Lady Artemis!" said Aren, dropping to a knee in front of her mistress. The others bowed politely. Divus mewed in welcome, stretched, and slipped into the room between my feet.

She gave the huntress a small smile. Her eyes, however, were flitting about the room, searching for something.

"Lady who?" called a voice. It appeared to be emanating from a massive mound of cardboard with legs. Several more pieces of trash were impaled on a sword sticking out from the side.

"I'm sorry, my lady," said Aren, smiling. "To be fair, though, he _did_ last nearly five minutes around all this mess before he had to start cleaning."

My mother's eyes glistened a little as she stepped towards my father, who was still hidden behind his load and appeared to be attempting to open the patio door with his foot.

My mother sighed. "Hippolytus..."

"M'lady!" came his muffled voice happily. "Is that you?"

"It is indeed, old friend."

"I beg you give me a moment, mistress. I have many apologies to give you and much cardboard in my hands."

"Just put it down, Hippolytus."

"Sorry, my lady, I didn't quite hear you!"

"Drop it!" she barked suddenly, causing my father to instantly open his hands in shock, dropping the entire load on top of the black cat who had been sitting unsuspectingly at his feet.

"_Mrrroww..."_

"Sorry, m'lady. Old habits," he said, dusting his long hair and robes down. He cocked his head at my mother, concern on his face over the strange expression in her eyes. "My lady, is something the matter?"

She smiled and shook her head. "No, my faithful servant, it is just... I have lost too many good companions in recent years. It warms me to see one return to me... Welcome home, old friend."

He bowed with a smile as he tapped his broom to the side of his head in salute. "M'lady. Though I must apologize for how long I have neglected my post. Truly, I will accept any punishment you see fit to-"

"-It's alright, I-" she tried to cut in.

"-be it banishment, death, evisceration-" he went on.

"-really, you don't-" she tried again to say.

"-incarceration, being cast into Tartarus, ripped apart by wild beasts-"

"-Hippolytus..." she said coolly as he went on.

"-being dropped from Olympus, dragged over broken glass-though I would appreciate it if not by horses-"

"-_Hippolytus..."_she repeated.

"-being hurled from the very top of-"

"_HIPPOLYTUS__!__"_

"Yes, my lady?" he asked, immediately shutting up.

My mother looked about to speak, and then just sighed and waved a hand at the room in general. "Clean up this mess."

"Yes, my lady."

She shook her head as he happily went about his task, though I couldn't help but notice the ghost of a smile on her face as she watched him do so. Meanwhile, an irritated black cat trotted back over to his companion, shaking plaster dust out of his fur.

The goddess then turned back to us, her eyes lingering on the two Roman demigods.

"It would appear you have increased in number since last we met. _Greetings, children,"_said the goddess curtly, switching to Latin.

Aemilia inclined her head, but Theia seemed less interested in the goddess than with helping her disheveled feline. "_Lady Diana."_

My mother's eyebrow raised a fraction of an inch and I noticed her share a strange glance with Apollo. "_I'm afraid I haven't gone by that name in many years."_

Aemilia looked perturbed. "_Are you saying there are none in the world who know the gods as we do?"_

Again a brief glance-barely a flicker of movement of her eyes, but still noticeable.

"Armani?_"_

"Yes, mother?" I asked, returning to English.

"Where did they come from?" she asked, a note of suspicion in her voice.

_I have the sinking suspicion I may be about to get in trouble..._

I adjusted the neck of my tunic. "Umm..._Italy_?"

She turned to look at me _very_slowly.

She regarded me blankly and without emotion.

"…_Rome?"_I elaborated.

Silence. And I wasn't sure what punishment my mother was contemplating for not answering her outright, but thankfully Apollo saw fit to save my bacon. "_I think it's about time for me to take our guests to get settled in..."_ he said with a smile.

"_You're going to take them to camp?"_ asked Percy.

I saw the smile on his face flicker for just an instant. "_Something like that. I'll take them somewhere where they can get adjusted and then I'll drop them off at... at camp."_

It wasn't like Apollo to stammer. If anything, being a smooth talker was one of his best talents, though he also wasn't one to lie, and so I nodded my head acceptingly. "_I'll leave it to you, then."_

"_It would appear to be time for us to part company,"_said Aemilia tiredly. "_It has been...unusual, to say the least."_

I smiled. "_Stay safe, Aemilia."_

Theia hugged my father tightly, causing him to stagger a step. "_And you be careful too. Your singing may have been terrible, but you were a good servant."_

My father bowed his head formally. "_It was my honor to serve you, Miss Theia."_

"_I expect you to be proper with them, Brother."_ Apollo turned and smiled that oh-so not innocent smile of his as he lead the girls out.

"_You know me, sis."_He paused to look at my father. "Drop by my temple when you get back to Olympus, we'll play some X-box."

"X-what?" asked my father with a frown.

The sun god smiled widely. "Oh, you and I have much to discuss..."

"Brother."

"I'm going, I'm going..."

A moment later, the sound of a revving engine signaled the departure of Apollo and the two displaced demigods.

I stood looking out the window in silence, dwelling on something I felt I knew after thinking on Apollo's words. "We won't see them again, will we?" I asked, not turning around.

I saw Percy frown. "What do you mean? We'll probably-"

He was cut off as my mother replied after a moment's hesitation. "I cannot be sure, perhaps. If you want to know the future, I'm afraid your best bet just walked out the door. Just know this, all of you; they will be cared for, and they will be safe. I do, however, ask that you do not look further into this issue."

I turned to look at her. It was rare for her to sound so secretive, and I noticed the slight regret in her voice. It was as if it were a situation she wished wasn't so, but was resigned to.

She caught me looking and her shoulders slumped a little. "It is merely the way of things. Now do me a favor and allow our guest in."

I frowned. "What gue-"

And then the doorbell rang.

_What is it with gods and jumping at any opportunity to show off?_

"I heard that," muttered my mother as I walked for the door.

Thalia was standing outside. By her side, arms folded, dressed as normal in a pants suit, was Athena.

She scowled at me, and I flinched as lightning crackled menacingly in the air behind her.

Thalia shrugged. "Sorry. Built up a bit of static pacing outside."

Athena inclined her head. "Might I come in?"

"Was that a question?"

"No," she replied simply, and walked right past me.

My mother's voice called from behind me, "And have Thalia come in too, my chariot will be quite safe unguarded for a time."

I stood aside and allowed the Daughter of Zeus to follow me in.

Percy let out a small whimper as Athena strode into the room. The goddess stopped, looking out of the patio windows over the open sea. Thalia walked over to stand at my mother's side.

My father glanced up from his brushing. "Oh, hello, Lady Athena."

She spared him a sidelong glance. "Hippolytus. It's been some time."

He cocked his head as he collected some more trash and bagged it up. "So people tell me."

She hummed in agreement and remained silent for a moment, letting Aren, Percy and I stew in our own uneasiness for a moment.

_Oh gods, here it comes..._

"Did not a single one of you remember the oath I had you take in exchange for my help?"

We exchanged a nervous glance. "…I don't know what you mean," said Percy, trying and failing to sound innocent.

Athena glared at him and began walking slowly in his direction. "Is that so? Then would you care to inform me just why I saw two demigods and a pair of seers who went missing from Rome two thousand years ago leave with Apollo a moment ago?"

"_Armani_?" said my mother.

I looked fearfully at the two deities.

_Spiffing, talk about being caught between a rock and two hard places. I don't suppose you've got any smart ideas._

_Hey, leave me out of this._

"Well?" prodded my mother. She did not sound amused.

I wiped away the sheen of sweat that was forming on my brow. "Well... you see... that was... kind of unavoidable. We sort of ran head on into some..."

"Some _what_?" breathed the battle goddess impatiently.

"..._unforeseen circumstances?" _I finished hopefully.

"Is _that_what you call what I just read?" demanded Athena, almost seething.

I frowned. "What do you mean-" I cut myself off when I realized I was in a room with two goddesses and two people incapable of hiding their thoughts. "Ah, _crud_..."

"_Four people_? You attacked four people?" Athena asked, glaring right at me.

My shoulders sagged. "_Killed_, I killed four people, let's not mince words…"

"You did _what?"_breathed my mother with wide eyes.

"They would've killed Aren if I hadn't!" I objected, and turned back to Athena. "And I totally call predestination on that one. If I hadn't intervened, past Aren wouldn't have reached my mother and wouldn't be here today."

My mother glanced at Aren, "Is he referring to-"

She nodded.

"_Ah."_ My mother turned back to Athena. "In that case, I rescind my objection."

Athena's scowl flicked back into a frown as she thought about it. "Very well," she said grudgingly, "but that doesn't eliminate the main issue; you took people out of the past and brought them back with you."

Again I felt the nervousness rise. "Well, like I said: unforeseen circumstances..."

The battle goddess' eyes narrowed. "And what, pray tell, might these circumstances be?"

I swallowed a gulp. "Well, you see..."

"He stabbed Caesar in the back," said my father calmly as he continued brushing, weaving about Athena's legs with his brush.

"_Father!_" I gaped.

He paused to look up. "What? You did."

"Well, _yeah_, but you didn't have to just out and _say it_, and you got into a fight with Mark Antony, so I don't know why you sound so innocent."

He nodded, thinking. "Yes, indeed I did..."

I sighed painfully and suddenly noticed my mother looking at me, agape. "Oh, don't look at me like that!"

She blinked. "You killed Caesar?"

I scowled. "I did _not_."

She closed her eyes, releasing a relieved breath. "Then why-"

"I only stabbed him once."

"_Armani!"_

"It's not just me!" I protested. "Percy beat up Hercules!"

"_Hey!_"

Artemis glanced at him. He flinched, but she immediately returned her gaze to me. "That, I don't care about."

"You wouldn't," I muttered under my breath.

"Is there anything _else_ you would like to tell me?" asked my mother sharply.

I found myself scowling right back at her. "Why, yes, as a matter of fact, there is."

"Armani...maybe you shouldn't-" began Aren, but there was only so much a guy could take in one day.

"I also beat up some sailors in ancient Greece."

"Armani..." said Aren warningly.

"I picked a fight with Zoe Nightshade in ancient Rome."

"Umm..."

"_And_ got chased by half the Roman army!" I shouted at my wide-eyed mother. "And what else? Ah, yes, we stole some clothes, but forgive me if that pales somewhat in comparison."

"We _paid_ for the clothes," mumbled Percy lamely.

I was pulled away from my mother's reaction as Athena spoke up. "So, an actual confession, that-"

She was cut off by my father, who was still contentedly sweeping up around us. "Well, technically, they hadn't even made the oath then," he said, not looking up as he paused to wipe a smudge off the TV screen.

Athena froze and then frowned. "Meaning?"

He paused and glanced sideways at her. "Well, all that happened centuries ago. How long were they gone, by the way?"

"A little over a week, why?"

"Then how can you hold them responsible for breaking an oath for things that happened before said oath was ever made?"

Athena looked about to respond, then hesitated, frowned in thought and finally looked right at my father, who was watching her with innocent expectance. "W-well, that hadn't... you see... when all that happened they had already... but that is to say they hadn't-"

"Yes?" asked Hippolytus with a cocked eyebrow.

She scowled at him openly, searching for a response. In the end she simply flung her hands in the air. "_Fine!_Just forget the whole thing then!" she snapped.

My father nodded. "As you wish." He went dutifully back to his cleaning.

_Did he just... No, no that had to be an innocent fluke. No _way_ did my divine janitor dad knowingly outsmart her._

Percy looked questioningly between them. "Sooo... Does this mean we're _not_ going to be getting any divine wrath rained down on us?"

A rather red-faced Athena glared at him murderously. "Don't tempt me."

I let out a sigh of relief as silence descended, and when it did, suddenly another sound became audible:

Someone was laughing.

It was quiet, under their breath. I frowned and we found ourselves all exchanging glances as the noise became louder.

Finally, and seemingly all at the same time, we turned to the only other occupant in the room as the source became apparent.

It was coming from my mother.

She was chuckling to herself, her hand over her mouth. The hand came away as it became an out and out laugh, and it wasn't her usual sweet, gentle laugh. No, it was a borderline manic, I've-been-pushed-one-step-too-far kind of laugh.

_Back away...very slowly._

I'm not sure if Athena could hear my instinct or something, but I noticed her taking several very slow and measured steps away from the moon goddess.

_Has she finally cracked?_

Artemis' laugh bordered between controlled and manic for a moment before she suddenly went deathly silent, her head hanging down.

We all glanced fearfully at each other until she suddenly broke the silence in a calm voice. "Percy Jackson. Athena."

They both seemed to flinch. "Y-yes?" Percy stammered.

She raised a single hand. "Out." The goddess snapped her fingers. Abruptly, the barrier around the building seemed to flow inwards around us, and as it made contact with the two in question they vanished in a flash of silver light.

_She banished them._

I considered reminding my mother that there was a door, but I strongly believed correcting her at this moment would be a very unwise thing to do.

"I've come to a decision," My mother suddenly said. Her tone was even and level, a stark contrast to her outburst. "I know exactly what exactly it is I must do with you...Two birds, one stone, as the mortals like to say."

I gulped and took another step away from her. I wasn't sure what stone she was talking about, but I knew I probably didn't want to be one of the birds.

"M-mother?" I stammered.

Suddenly she whipped her head around. "Aren!" she snapped. The little Huntress jumped a foot in the air at being addressed.

"_Aah!_" she yelped. "I mean, yes, Lady Artemis?"

The goddess' eyes narrowed ever so slightly at her. "Have you come to a decision?"

Aren wrung her hands together and averted her eyes from the goddess. Thalia rested a hand on her shoulder, gripping it once supportively.

I looked between them. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't follow."

Thalia seemed about to speak, then glanced questioningly at Aren. The smaller huntress caught her gaze and nodded once. Thalia smiled warmly in response and turned back to me. "Do you remember before Aren left with you on your quest?"

I frowned and recalled the memory. "Yes, you were talking about something."

She nodded. "I was giving her a bit of advice."

"That advice being…?"

She glanced quickly at Aren and back. "I suggested that she use the time with you to make her mind up about…things. If there's one things quests do, it's open your eyes to what's important to you."

I caught on to what she was saying, and I didn't like it. "You were telling her to decide between staying with me and staying with the Hunters."

"N-not exactly," she said. "I was just telling her to be sure of what she wanted, and not just jump into a decision on confused feelings."

"And have you?" asked my mother suddenly.

Aren seemed to be trembling slightly as she spoke. "Yes, my lady," she said in a barely audible voice.

"Aren," I said. "Don't."

My mother extended her hand at me and there was a ripple of power in the air. It pushed me back a step. A warning.

"Speak, child," she said soothingly.

Thalia put a supportive arm around Aren's shaking form, squeezing her reassuringly as the smaller girl whispered hoarsely, "I'm sorry, mistress. I'm so sorry..."

The goddess' face was impassive as she waited for the girl to continue.

"But…I can't come with you anymore," she said in an almost choked sob. I wanted so much to stop her, to beg her to take it back.

"And why is that?" Artemis enquired coolly still.

Aren replied, her voice more even, but tone still shaking. And, though I couldn't see her face from where I stood, I could tell that she was crying. "Long ago, you saved me, and gave me a new life, and I'm so grateful for that, but the original debt was not to you. On that night, all those years ago, the only reason I reached you was because…someone else stepped in and saved me, and sent us together." She paused to take a shuddering breath and raised her head up to meet the gaze of the goddess. "I'm so sorry, mistress, but I'm not your Hunter...I'm Armani's. And in a way, I always have been."

My mother was silent for a long moment, none of us talking as she regarded the Huntress. "Is that your decision?" she asked finally.

Aren met her stare head on. "It is, Lady Artemis."

The goddess nodded. "I see. Very well then. It would seem-"

"Mother," I cut in, finally finding my voice. "If you do this-"

She cut me off again. "Let me guess. If I revoke Aren's power and immortality, you would have me do the same to you?" she said wearily.

I blinked. "Well...kind of... yes."

She sighed. "Melodramatic as ever. As I was _about_ to say, it would appear my decision was correct, and my chosen method for resolving the problem was apt."

I frowned. "What are you saying? Does that mean Aren-"

The goddess scowled. "Aren may be an issue, but she is not the problem I was referring to."

"T-then…what _is_ the problem?"

"You are," she said, and turned back to Aren. "_Aren_."

She flinched in Thalia's arm. "Y-yes, Lady Artemis?"

"I am altering the terms of our agreement."

The Hunter's eyes widened. "My lady?"

"You may consider the oath you originally took to be void," Artemis said mildly. "You may retain your powers as a Hunter, but I will require a new agreement of you."

Aren, extremely confused, nodded silently in response.

Suddenly, and without turning around, my mother stabbed a finger in my direction. "_Never_let _him_ out of your sight again!"

"_Hey!"_ I objected reflexively.

Aren's jaw dropped slightly. "You mean-"

The goddess waved her hand. "I mean ever within reason, of course. I cannot expect you to keep him in your presence every minute of the day. However, those are the terms of our agreement. From now, until the day you die or choose to leave my service, you are my son's keeper."

"My _what?_" I gaped.

My mother turned to regard me with a raised eyebrow. "You would have preferred I used the term _babysitter_?"

I looked at her incredulously, "I don't need an eternal babysitter!" I snapped, and only as the last syllable left my mouth did I realize how unwise the objection was.

The goddess rounded on me suddenly and swiped an arm in my direction. A silver flash of light struck me in the face and sent me hurtling back onto the sofa. I shook my head and found Artemis glaring down at me; I'm not sure if she had used my moment of disorientation to alter her size, but she somehow seemed to tower over me.

"Shall I _list_ the things that have happened every time I left you to your own devices?"

"I would really rather you didn't," I muttered sheepishly.

Unsurprisingly, she didn't feel like complying with my wish, as she began counting things off on her fingers. "You came within seconds of dissolving completely into Oblivion."

"That was _completely_ not my-"

"You made an enemy of Hades."

"Now to be fair-"

"Unleashed the undead."

"Now really, that-"

"You ripped a hole in the fabric of the universe itself, the mere presence of _two_ of you being more than reality could handle, for which reality has my complete sympathy."

"Okay, I suppose that was _partially_ my-"

"The end of the cosmos was averted by a hairs breadth."

I nodded drearily.

"You effectively wiped yourself out of existence."

"I got better," I sighed.

She kept right on going.

"You robbed the mortal royal family and brought a criminal back to our reality."

"Well there _were_ extenuating circumstances..."

"You got involved in the assassination of Julius Caesar, were chased by Romans and even went so far as to get into a fight with my former lieutenant!"

"Well, when you put it like that..."

She ignored me again, but she did take a deep, calming breath. "Now... Did I miss anything?"

_Well, at least she didn't mention the sparkling-_

"Ah yes," she cut in. "The _vampire_."

_Damn._

"The _fictional_vampire," she added. "Do you understand that, Armani? Things don't even need to be _real_ for them to try and kill you!"

For the first time in my life, I really did feel like a scolded child. "Well, to be fair..." I mumbled, "That's the sort of trouble demigods get into in their lifetimes."

"Yes," snapped my mother. "In their _lifetimes_. Not within the space of six months!"

"Six months?" I mused. "Feels like at least... twenty."

"Now... are you seeing a slight pattern emerging?" asked the goddess sardonically.

I heaved a defeated sigh as my eyes fell. "I suppose I really have caused you no end of problems..."

I heard her let out a breath and I suddenly felt her fingernail under my chin as she tilted my gaze back to meet hers. "Perhaps, but do not mistake frustration for regret, my child. I think I will be satisfied Aren can keep the calamities away from you, at least for a while."

I smiled sadly. "I suppose I really could use a rest. Feels like I've been running forever. It'd be nice to stop for a while."

A small smile spread across her features, her hand moving to brush my cheek. "Perhaps... Either way, I am sure you will do well, Armani." She turned about to face the blonde huntress. "Aren..."

Aren's head rose up. "Yes, my lady?"

"I leave him in your very capable hands." said the goddess, still smiling slightly.

Aren's eyes seemed to become moist with relief and gratitude as she smiled, nodding her head in response. "On my life, my lady."

The goddess paused to glance at Lya. "I suppose I can trust you to keep an eye on both of them."

Lya grinned and gave a rather adorable salute. "You can count on me!"

Artemis nodded. "Of course..." Her gaze turned to my father. "Hippolytus."

"Yes, mistress?"

"We're returning to Olympus. You have much work to catch up on."

Oddly, this just seemed to make him happier. "Cleanup's finished here. I look forward to returning to your service, my lady."

She smiled. "As do I."

In the hallway, a somewhat nervous Percy peeked his head round the door. "Umm, can I come back in now? The silence is a little uncomfortable out here..."

I glanced at my mother, who inclined her head. "Yeah, come in. I think we're about done," I said.

Percy slipped back in, and I was shocked to find Athena had materialized in the corner of the room without our noticing. "How courteous," said the goddess a little testily.

"I apologize. There were some sensitive matters to attend to." said Artemis, obviously feeling slightly embarrassed about mystically booting the other goddess out of her house.

"So what was that about?" asked Percy quietly as he dropped back down onto the sofa next to me.

I considered my words. "My mother and I just had a couple of outstanding...issues...that needed resolving," I said, my gaze catching Aren's. She blushed noticeably.

I saw Percy's eyes flick between us for a second.

His eyebrows rose a little and he nodded acceptingly. "So... good news?"

Aren met my eyes for a moment, and I felt a small smile tug on my lips. "I think so, yes." The Hunter blushed a little redder and looked away again.

Percy patted me once on the arm, smiling goofily. "Good to hear."

I noticed Athena regarding me closely. "I sense I may have missed out on something. Something new...How unfortunate."

I smiled apologetically. "I'm sure you'll find out some day."

"No doubt," she said simply, and vanished from the room with a blaze of light.

Artemis clasped her hands behind her back. "I think it is time I depart as well." She glanced at me. "I assume you will be remaining here for a while."

I smiled. "I think I've spent enough time at camp this summer. Time to let someone else do the adventuring. Besides, there's always the Hunt, that's with me wherever I go."

She nodded curtly, again a small smile gracing her childlike features. "Always. Come, Thalia, Hippolytus. Percy Jackson?"

"Y-yes?"

"I will drop you at camp Half-Blood on my way back to Olympus."

He blinked in surprise. "_Oh_... Thanks, Artemis."

"Oh, and Percy," I said.

He paused and looked back at me. "Yeah?"

"Do me a favor?"

"Sure, anything."

"When you get back to camp, tell Clarisse...tell her that I owe her one."

He looked confused for a second but then just smiled that smile of his. "Will do."

"So..." began the goddess as they walked from the room. "Hercules?"

Percy shrugged as the door began to close behind them. "He was all talk..."

I smiled as they left. "I suspect that's one anecdote she'll enjoy hearing."

At that I let my eyes sweep over my familiar surroundings. Lya was curled up in the sun in front of the patio doors, and Aren regarded me from perch in one of the armchairs.

It was good to be home.

-A-

It was a little later on when I found myself sitting on the dune out back of the condo, legs drawn up to my chest as the sun set and day gave way for night.

I really did love evenings. It was when all the fun began.

I smiled contentedly as I inhaled the warm sea breeze mixed with the scents of the nearby forest. That and apple... apple and lotus.

Aren didn't need to announce herself and she knew it. "Funny..." she said, speaking quietly, as if to not breach my content silence.

"What is?" I asked, not turning about.

I heard her shift her feet from behind me. "I think this is where we first met."

I chuckled. "Feels like a lifetime ago, back when you weren't exactly my biggest fan."

"Understatement."

"Though hardly shocking-me being here, that is. It was always my favorite spot. Even seemed to make mornings tolerable." I didn't say it, but that was an understatement as well. Sitting in that spot, I always felt I was watching the world go silently by. Either the sun or the moon would be high in the sky in front of me. I could sense the forest and feel the moon through the waves in the sea, even when it was hidden from view. I realized now that even back then, I had been seeking solace from my mother, even when I didn't know who she was.

I didn't say it. But I think Aren knew anyway.

Aren stepped forward and dropped down onto the sand beside me. I noticed idly that she had dressed down from her usual attire in favor of a loose pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. The glow in her skin seemed to shine subtly through the white cotton. "Why do you suppose she did it?" she asked after a moment. "Lady Artemis, I mean."

I went silent, contemplating it. As I leaned against her shoulder, she gently ushered me down until I was lying with my head in her lap. I glanced up at her questioningly.

She smiled. "Just keeping you where I can see you."

I smiled back and looked back out to sea, considering her question. "I wonder..." I said ponderingly. "...perhaps it's just in the nature of the gods."

"What do you mean?" she asked, her fingers running idly through my hair. It was very distracting, but I tried to focus on her question.

"It's just a theory," I said, "but it ties in with the way they often work. The gods tend to act through their children, who aren't as restricted and bound by rules as they are. One could say it's their way of truly interacting with the world, if only by proxy. People often yearn for that which they cannot have, and by having children, a part of those gods can experience that which they themselves never can."

"You're saying that Lady Artemis-"

"I'm not saying anything," I said, cutting her off gently, "except that maybe she just wanted for me the things she could never have herself."

Aren smiled weakly. "Well, I suppose even a lone wolf needs a partner sometimes."

"True, behind every successful alpha there is often a great beta."

Aren smirked. "Oh, and who says _you're_ the alpha here? I'm _your_ keeper, after all. You're little more than a cub next to me."

"I won't dispute there is a slight age difference between us."

She smiled, her cheeky eyes glistening. "Just a slight one, but I suppose considering we're roommates now, we really will have to get used to each other."

I cocked an eyebrow. "You don't sing in the shower do you?"

Her brow scrunched into a frown. "Why would you ask that?"

I glanced away, blushing as her fingers idly brushed my cheek. "Just something Apollo used to do. He had an annoying habit of singing show tunes loud enough for anyone within a half-mile radius to hear. Drove me damn near insane."

"You have my word. I think I'll leave that sort of thing to you."

I frowned, propping myself up on my elbows. "_Meaning?"_

She smirked. "Well, _you're_ the one with the lovely singing voice."

I scowled, and opened my mouth to give her a verbal lashing, but she silenced my retort by closing the gap between us and swiftly covering my lips with her own.

I felt myself frowning irritably, even as my eyes closed and I shifted onto one elbow, my free hand cupping the back of her neck, her fingers gripping my hair firmly.

_Well... I suppose I'll let that one slide, just this once..._

_You really are hopeless._

_Yes... Yes I am._

**The End**

[A/N] And thusly concludes the upload of the remastered version of this little tale, was nice going back over what I'd wrote and making some subtle changes and corrections. Kudos to Shrrgnien for her epic as always beta work, and I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I guess I'll see you all next for a bit of one off christmas fun in Broken Bow: The 12 Years of Christmas.


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